Most expats rent far longer than they need to, simply because the Dutch housing market feels impossible to navigate from the outside. It isn’t. We guide you through every step, from the first viewing to the keys, and we handle the Dutch part for you.
A bidding process with no visible rules, that moves faster than you expect. In the Netherlands almost everything around buying a home happens in Dutch, and most of it happens quickly. Without someone on your side, you’re competing against buyers who have done this before and who speak the language.
That’s where we come in. We search beyond the public listing sites, we conduct the negotiations on your behalf, and we go through every contract with you before you sign anything. You always know exactly what you’re agreeing to, because we explain it in English.
The Dutch Real Estate Company helped me and my partner get our first house in Amsterdam. The process of buying a house in the Netherlands is different from our home-country. However Elize – our agent – was simply amazing! She listened..
I have used DREC for both of my purchase and sale needs in the last 2.5 years while living in Amsterdam. I was referred through a close friend of mine who also purchased his apartment through DREC and they have been …
Me and my husband loved working with Edward! He helped us get the apartment we wished for and I am so so happy I went with Dutch Real Estate! Easy to talk to, reliable and good expertise on Amsterdam real estate!
Once the notary appointment is done, most agents disappear. We stay. Whether your new home needs a full renovation, a new kitchen or just some styling to make it yours, we have our own team of contractors and stylists ready to take it on.
It means you don’t have to find a reliable builder in a country you’ve just arrived in, in a language you don’t speak yet. You move into a home that’s finished, not into a project.
Yes. There are no restrictions on foreign nationals buying property in the Netherlands, whether or not you hold a Dutch passport. What matters in practice is your income, your employment contract and your residency status, because those determine what you can borrow. We go through your situation in the first conversation, so you know where you stand before you start looking.
That depends mainly on your gross annual income, your type of employment contract and any existing debt. As a general rule, lenders in the Netherlands finance up to 100% of the property value, which means you will need savings to cover the buying costs on top of that. Your nationality is not a factor, but your residency status and contract type do influence what lenders will offer. We work with mortgage advisors who specialise in international clients, and we introduce you to them as part of the process.
On top of the purchase price you pay what the Dutch call kosten koper: 2% transfer tax, notary fees, a valuation report, mortgage advice and, if you use one, your buying agent. Together these usually come to around 4 to 6% of the purchase price.
If you are under 35, buying your first home in the Netherlands and going to live in it yourself, you may be exempt from the transfer tax. This applies regardless of your nationality. In 2026 the exemption applies to homes up to €555,000, which rules out a large part of the Amsterdam market, so we always check whether it applies to your situation before you make an offer.
Yes, and that is how we prefer to work. We start with an intake to understand what you are looking for, search both the public listings and our own network, join you at the viewings, handle the negotiation and go through the contract with you. We arrange the introduction to a mortgage advisor, and after the purchase we can take care of renovation and styling through our own contractors.
No. Everything we do for you happens in English: the viewings, the negotiations, the explanation of the contracts and the communication with the notary and the mortgage advisor. The official documents are in Dutch, and that is exactly why we go through them with you line by line before you sign anything.
