Francisco (35) and his partner Adriana (30) from Portugal had a wild ride looking and bidding for houses in 2023. They finally managed to buy their first house in Utrecht, the Netherlands after one year, in 2024.
68 viewings. In what time frame you did that?
We were looking for a house for 1 year more or less. We knew that there is a housing shortage but many of our friends bought after three-four months of searching. We did not think that it would be so difficult and it would take so much time.
What house were you looking for?
We had quite specific requirements:
- Between 120 and 150 square meters
- Energy label B, A or better
- Not built before 1980
- Garden south or south-east facing
- Close to childcare
- Close distance to the train station or major connecting road.
- Buy price up to €405,000 to be eligible for the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG)
These indeed are quite specific requirements..
We both work and we have 2 young kids so renovating a house was not at all in our plans. We hoped that a house no more than 40-50 years old would not give us major headaches. The house should be well maintained. I work in Utrecht but Francisco in Amsterdam so being close to the train station is very important for us. Also in one of us changes job to another city having a train station close-by would make life easier. We wanted to have NHG for peace of mind.
I need to ask.. did you get what you were looking for?
Actually, we had to compromise. Very soon after our search we realized we could not buy exactly the house we had in our minds. For example, it felt like winning the lottery. Finding a house with a south-facing garden was rare when we had such tight requirements. For this we would have to expand our search further that the station. The amount of overbidding surprised us. It easily was €50,000 to €100,000 for houses with a sale price of about €400,000.
The house we eventually bought was not as close to the station but still reachable by bike. It was not ready to move in. It was livable but not to our taste. Fortunately it needed only cosmetic changes, wallpaper removal and placing new wallpaper, new kitchen and new bathroom. Francisco is very handy so he changed wallpaper and installed a new kitchen. We hired professionals for updating the bathrooms.
Also we got the house for €420,000. The buy date was in 2024. It was under the NHG mortgage guarantee, which was increased that year to €435,000.
How much did it cost you?
The purchase of the house:
- Notary: €2,000
- Translator: €200
- Bank guarantee: €420
- Financial advisor: €2,200
- NHG: €1,680
- Valuation report: €650
- Technical inspection: €620
- Total: €7,770
The renovation:
- Wallpaper removal and installation (DIY): €450
- Kitchen IKEA (DIY): €7,000
- Bathroom renovation (10 m2): €9,000
- Guest toilet renovation (4 m2): €3,000
- Total: €19,450
Has your lifestyle changed drastically after the buying of the house?
We invite more friends at home and we spend more time indoors. I really like I do have a home office now and I can work from home more often.
Weirdly enough.. we save more. I guess is because we spend more time at home. We prefer to stay at home to watch movies than going to the cinema. Still, it still stings seeing our bank account almost empty after paying for the buying and renovation costs.
Would you do anything differently?
We would have overbid more for the house we really liked. We realized afterwards when we saw more houses that that house felt like home right away. We overbid for that house €50,000. It seemed like a lot back then. Now, we feel we could have overbid even more.
Any tips you would like to give to people who are looking to buy a house in the Netherlands?
- Decide what are your “must haves”
- Be ready to compromise
- Be patient
- Think twice before you (over)bid
Would you like to share your story? Get in touch at info@myexpatwallet.nl! The stories and budgets are real. The name, age, and nationality are fictional to protect the privacy of the persons concerned.
