Real estate law
Expats generally start out in the Netherlands in a rental apartment or house they either found themselves or their company has provided for them. When you decide to make your stay in the Netherlands more permanent, it stands to reason that you want to start looking for your own residence. A house, after all, is not a home.
A few questions often arise when starting the process of buying a new home, of which the most important two are:
- How do you go about buying a new home in the Netherlands?; and/or
- What are the financing options for buying a home in the Netherlands?
Our team can provide you with the answers and help you with and guide you through the process of buying your new dream home. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Drafting up a purchase agreement;
- Drafting up a deed of execution; and
- Drafting up a deed of mortgage.
Acquiring a home
Before a signed purchase agreement is even sent to you have already been looking for a home and probably have gone to several viewings. You have already received and signed the purchase agreement in which the terms of the purchase of your new home have been laid down. The signing of the purchase agreement of your new home, too, is an intricate process that requires a keen eye for detail.
A civil law notary generally only gets introduced after you have already found your dream home. Once you have signed the purchase agreement, you can choose a civil law notary and upon receiving the purchase agreement, we then draw up the accompanying notarial deed of execution. In this deed, the agreements you have made in your purchase agreement are formalized and ownership of the home gets officially transferred after the signing of the deed and the lodging thereof in the land registry (“Kadaster”).
Financing the purchase of your home
If (part of) the purchase sum needs to be (partly) financed through a mortgage loan from the bank, you will have to go through the (often long and arduous) application process. It is generally advisable that you acquire the assistance of a financial advisor, preferably one with experience in advising expats.
Once you have successfully applied for a mortgage loan, the bank will contact your chosen notary with the documents needed to draw up the accompanying notarial deed of mortgage. In this deed, the agreements you have made during your mortgage application are formalized, the loan is acquired and a right of security is placed on your new home as a type of security for the bank in the form of a right of mortgage. The right of mortgage will be formalized after the signing of the deed and the lodging thereof in the land registry (“Kadaster”).
Other services
It is, of course possible that you require help beyond the (financing of the) purchase of your new home. For example, if you already own a house or apartment and wish to refinance with a mortgage loan (“oversluiting”) or take out a second mortgage (“tweede hypotheek”) we are also able to provide this service for you. If you are looking to purchase a second home, a parking garage, a storage or other real estate, we are also able to offer our assistance.
For our non-Dutch speaking clients, it is important that an interpreter is present during the signing of the deeds so they can translate in the prospective buyer’s native language. Once the deeds are ready to be signed, we will contact one of our known interpreters to be present during the signing of the deeds.
Please contact us for advice or assistance
