Your own money when buying a house: how much, and when?

With your savings, allow for the purchase costs and for the part of the price your mortgage does not cover. You need that money at different moments. Some invoices you pay during the application, other amounts run through the Dutch civil-law notary (notaris).

The €4,200 to €6,900 indication covers the two notarial deeds, the valuation and the mortgage advice. Transfer tax, a structural survey, a buying agent and any gap between your offer and your mortgage come on top of that.

How much can you borrow?

Your mortgage is capped by your income and by the value of the home. A valuer sets that value. In an ordinary situation you can borrow at most 100% of that market value. The lender also looks at your income, the interest rate and your financial commitments, so your maximum mortgage can come out below the valuation. For recognised energy-saving measures you may sometimes borrow up to 106%, and that extra amount has to be spent on those measures.

Say you buy a home for €425,000 and the valuer puts it at €410,000. If your income allows a mortgage of €410,000, you pay the remaining €15,000 yourself. If your income allows at most €395,000, your own contribution towards the price is €30,000. In both cases the purchase costs still come on top.

So your own contribution is not always just the gap between your offer and the valuation. Your income and your commitments help decide how much you can actually borrow.

Which costs do you pay yourself?

For the two notarial deeds, the valuation and the mortgage advice the 2026 indication is roughly €4,200 to €6,900. Ask for quotes in advance, because the costs differ per provider and per file.

These amounts can come on top:

• Transfer tax: usually 2% if you will live in the home yourself for the longer term and do not get the first-time buyer exemption. On a home of €425,000 that is €8,500.
• A structural survey, if you have one done.
• A buying agent, if you engage one.
• The gap between the purchase price and your mortgage, for instance if the valuation is below your offer or your income allows less.

You pay most of the additional costs from your own money, because your mortgage usually cannot exceed 100% of the value of the home. If the valuation is above the purchase price, room appears and some lenders can finance part of the costs. That differs per lender, so do not count on it until your adviser has confirmed it.

Part of the mortgage costs is often deductible: the mortgage advice, the valuation for your loan and the notary costs for the mortgage deed. Transfer tax and the notary costs for the purchase deed are not, and neither is a buying agent. Any refund also comes through your tax return, not on the day of transfer.

Not everything is on the settlement statement

A few days before the transfer you receive the settlement statement. It shows the purchase price, the mortgage funds, the transfer tax, the notary costs and the settlement of charges. At the bottom you see the amount you still have to transfer to the notaris.

Costs you paid directly before that usually do not appear on it. Think of your mortgage adviser, the valuer, the survey firm or a buying agent. They came out of the same savings, so keep track of them in your own overview.

When does the money have to be ready?

Invoices from your adviser, the valuer or the survey firm you pay on their own terms. The amount on the notaris statement has to be in the third-party account on the date given there. Do not wait until the morning of the transfer: a payment still in transit can hold up the appointment.

Check about a week beforehand:

• whether the money can be withdrawn freely
• whether your bank has a daily limit for a transfer of this size
• whether the account number matches the details from the notaris
• whether you have to quote a payment reference

Does the account number change at the last moment? Call the notaris office on a number you looked up yourself and check the payment instruction. That way you verify the change with the office itself.

Is the money coming from family?

If family are helping you, settle before your mortgage application whether it is a gift or a loan. A gift can carry tax rules. A loan you report to the lender. They look at the interest and the repayment, and can count the monthly obligation in the calculation of your mortgage.

Take the arrangements with your family to your mortgage adviser. Where the money comes from, and on what terms, can affect your application.

Keep money back for after the keys

After the transfer come the move, work on the house, furniture, maintenance and the first municipal bills. So do not put all your savings into the purchase.

Split your savings into three parts:

1. the costs you pay directly during the application
2. the amount the statement says goes to the notaris
3. a buffer for the first months in your new home

That way you know which money already has a destination, and what you are keeping back after the keys.

What to do now

• Set the purchase price against what you can borrow on your income and on the value of the home, and ask your mortgage adviser to confirm the amounts for your situation.
• Work out as well how much of your own money you need if the valuation comes in below your offer.
• Work out the costs you pay yourself, and check whether you qualify for the first-time buyer exemption.
• Put the invoices, the notaris payment and your buffer in separate pots.
• Discuss a gift or family loan before your mortgage application.