To buy a house, you follow one route: check your mortgage capacity, find a home, make an offer, sign the purchase agreement, arrange financing and collect your keys at the notary. Your situation mainly changes how a lender reads your income. If you are self-employed, for example, a lender looks at your income differently than for someone on the payroll.

Start with a realistic borrowing figure, then build a budget for the costs that come on top of the price. After that, the steps follow a clear order, each with its own documents and deadlines.

Table of Contents

How to buy a house, step by step

The Dutch process runs from the first mortgage capacity check to the handover at the notary. It looks like a lot of paperwork, but each step has a clear purpose. Buying a house in the Netherlands is also legally straightforward for expats, so the same order applies whether you grew up here or arrived recently.

Here is the usual route:

• Check your borrowing capacity with a mortgage adviser or an affordability calculator.
• Set your total budget, including the buyer’s costs you pay from savings.
• Search for homes, ideally with a local buying agent who knows the area.
• View homes and decide which conditions you want in your offer.
• Make an offer and negotiate on price, conditions and transfer date.
• Sign the purchase agreement. It must be in writing, and after signing you have a legal cooling-off period in which you can withdraw without giving a reason.
• Arrange the valuation, the mortgage application and, if you choose, a building inspection.
• Sign the deed of transfer and the mortgage deed at the notary and collect your keys.

Once the purchase agreement is signed, the conditions in your contract start to matter. A financing condition gives you time to secure your mortgage before the deal becomes final. Put the key dates, such as the financing deadline, in your calendar as soon as you sign.

Use the days after signing to double-check your numbers and documents with your adviser. Any gaps in your paperwork are much easier to fix now than a week before the deadline.

How long it all takes varies a lot. It depends on how quickly you find a home, how fast your documents are ready and which transfer date you agree with the seller. Preparing your paperwork early can make the financing phase a lot smoother.

Working out how much you can borrow

Start by getting a maximum borrowing figure. You can talk to a mortgage broker or use a housing affordability calculator for a first indication. Both give you a number to plan with, and that number shapes your whole search.

An online calculation is a useful starting point, but a lender’s actual assessment can come out differently. The calculator only sees the numbers you enter, while a lender looks at the full picture of your income. That difference can be larger for self-employed applicants and for people with foreign income.

If you are self-employed, lenders often look at your income over several years rather than only your best year. They rely on your accountant’s figures and want to see that your business has continuity. A steady client base, recurring contracts and clean annual accounts all help your case. If last year was exceptionally strong, the figure a lender works with may still be lower than you hoped.

That is why an early talk with a mortgage adviser pays off. An adviser can read your annual figures the way a lender will and tell you what is realistic. Sometimes waiting for one more set of annual accounts raises your maximum. Sometimes you can already buy with a slightly lower budget.

Collect your most recent annual accounts and tax assessments in one folder. With those in hand, an adviser can give you a far more reliable figure than any calculator, and you search with a number you can actually act on.

Borrowing capacity and comfortable monthly costs are two different questions. Freelance income can move with the seasons. A monthly payment that still feels fine in a quieter month leaves you room to breathe.

Which documents you need for a mortgage application

For a mortgage application you need a BSN, your income papers and the property documents. That is the core set. What counts as income papers depends on how you earn your money.

Self-employed applicants typically provide 1 to 3 years of business accounts. Lenders usually want your annual accounts and your income tax assessments to match. If your bookkeeping is in order, this part goes quickly. If you are behind on a tax return, catching up early saves you time later.

Lenders also tend to ask for a few standard items:

• A valid ID.
• Proof of income: annual accounts and tax assessments for self-employed applicants, or an employer’s statement and payslips for employees.
• Bank statements that show your savings for the buyer’s costs.
• For expats, a residence permit or work permit where that applies.
• Property documents, such as the signed purchase agreement and the valuation report.

The valuation report confirms the market value of the home, which serves as security for your loan. Your adviser usually tells you when to order it, so the timing fits your financing deadline.

Recent arrivals in the Netherlands may have only a short income history here. Specialist expat lenders can offer options in that case, sometimes with an employer guarantee if needed. If you combine freelance work with a contract job, mention both sources from the start. Lenders can treat mixed income differently, and your adviser can look for the route that counts as much of it as possible.

What buying a house costs on top of the price

The mortgage rarely covers everything. The buyer’s costs (kosten koper), such as transfer tax and notary fees, generally come from your own savings. They usually can’t be financed through the mortgage, so you need that money ready before the transfer date.

Strictly speaking, kosten koper only covers transfer tax and notary costs. The valuation report and mortgage advice are separate items, but you pay them in the same period, so budget for them too. A rough rule is to reserve 4 to 6 percent of the purchase price for these extra costs.

Cost item	Typical amount	Note
Transfer tax (2026)	2% of the purchase price	0% for buyers who meet the starter-exemption conditions
Notary fees (deed of transfer and mortgage deed)	€1,000 to €2,000	Depends on the notary and complexity
Valuation report	€500 to €800	Usually required by the lender
Mortgage advice and brokerage	€2,500 to €3,500	Varies by adviser and situation
Building inspection (optional)	€400 to €700	Your choice
Buyer’s agent (optional)	€2,000 to €5,000 fixed, or 1 to 2% of the price	Depends on the agent and fee model

A home of €400,000 shows how this adds up. With 2 percent transfer tax, you pay €8,000 in tax alone, and notary fees, valuation and advice come on top of that.

When you compare mortgage advisers, look at the total cost of advice and brokerage rather than an hourly rate. Some advisers charge one fixed amount, others split advice and brokerage. Ask for one clear total so you can compare like with like.

Transfer tax, the starter exemption and NHG

For 2026, transfer tax is 2 percent of the purchase price of the home, unless you qualify for an exemption. Buyers who won’t live in the home themselves, such as investors, pay a higher rate.

Buyers aged 18 up to and including 34 can pay 0 percent transfer tax on an owner-occupied home valued up to €555,000 if they have not used the exemption before. The exemption also depends on other conditions, such as your age. Because these limits change over time, check the current figure with the Belastingdienst before you build your budget around it. See also more articles about english.

Being self-employed doesn’t affect this exemption. The rules look at you as a buyer and at the property, not at your type of income. A freelancer under the age limit who buys a first home to live in can benefit just like an employee.

The National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) is the other big lever. NHG protection applies up to €470,000, or €498,200 with energy-saving measures. A mortgage with NHG can lower your interest rate by 0.4 to 0.6 percentage points. You pay a one-off premium, which the interest discount can outweigh over time.

For self-employed buyers, NHG can make monthly costs more predictable and offers a safety net if your situation changes. The limits are reviewed regularly, so confirm the current figures on the NHG website before you decide.

Check early whether your target price falls under both the starter exemption limit and the NHG limit. If it does, you may save on tax and interest at the same time.

Making a strong offer with a local buying agent

In a tight market, a strong offer starts long before the viewing. Know your maximum budget in advance and get proof of financing from your adviser. That proof shows the seller your offer is realistic.

Find a buying agent who knows how people usually bid in the area. A local buyer’s agent can help you bid realistically, because they know recent sale prices, typical overbids and which conditions sellers in that neighbourhood tend to accept. Buyer’s agents charge either a fixed fee or a percentage of the purchase price, so ask for the total amount up front.

There are several ways to make your offer more attractive:

• Offer above the asking price when local prices support it.
• Limit the number of conditions in your offer.
• Be flexible on the transfer date if the seller needs time.
• Show that your financing is well prepared.

Your mortgage and savings set the ceiling. Stay within what they can cover, including the buyer’s costs you pay yourself. A good agent helps you bid with confidence without crossing that line.

For self-employed buyers, a well-prepared financing check is a real asset. If your adviser has already reviewed your annual accounts, you can tell the selling agent that your income has been assessed. That puts you on a more even footing with buyers on a permanent contract.

When you lose a bidding round, ask your agent what the winning bid looked like. That tells you how far above the asking price homes in that area actually go.

How the inspection and energy label shape your purchase

When you submit your offer, you can include or waive conditions such as a structural survey. Including it gives you room to act on what the inspector finds. Waiving it can make your offer stronger in a busy market. Arranging the inspection before you bid lets you keep both advantages.

A building inspection can reveal defects you wouldn’t spot during a viewing, such as problems with the roof, the foundation, moisture or the electrics. The report gives you facts to negotiate with. You might agree on a lower price or ask the seller to fix specific issues before the transfer.

The inspection is only a small part of your total buyer’s costs. Like the valuation, it is a separate item you pay in the same period, so include it in your budget from the start.

The energy label tells you how efficient the home is. A poor label points to future renovation costs, such as insulation or new windows. Include those costs in your plans to avoid surprises after moving in.

NHG offers a higher limit when you combine your purchase with energy-saving measures. If the inspection shows that the home needs insulation, ask your adviser whether those upgrades can be part of your mortgage.

From signing to keys at the notary

You are not the official owner until you and the seller sign the deed of transfer at the notary. Until then, the home still belongs to the seller, even with a signed purchase agreement. The transfer date is the day you sign at the notary and pick up your keys.

The notary prepares two documents. The deed of transfer moves the ownership to your name. The mortgage deed records the loan and the lender’s security on the home. The notary also registers the transfer with the Kadaster, the Dutch land registry.

Before the appointment, you receive a statement of settlement. It shows the purchase price, the mortgage amount, the transfer tax, the notary fees and the amount you need to transfer yourself. Check it carefully and make sure your own contribution reaches the notary in time, as a larger bank transfer can take a few days.

Shortly before the appointment, you can do a final walk-through. Check whether the home is in the agreed condition and whether the items listed in the agreement are still there. If something is off, raise it before you sign.

At the appointment, the notary goes through the key parts of the deeds, answers questions and checks your ID. Then you sign, the seller signs and you leave with your keys.

Conclusion

Buying a house comes down to one route: check your borrowing capacity, set a budget that includes 4 to 6 percent for buyer’s costs, make an offer, sign the purchase agreement, arrange your financing and sign the deeds at the notary. Prepare your documents early and keep savings ready for the buyer’s costs, and you can act as soon as the right home comes along. Work through those steps in order so you avoid last minute delays and do not miss deadlines.

Check your borrowing capacity first so you know the price range you can target and set a realistic budget that already covers the buyer’s costs. When you make an offer follow up quickly and make sure your financing arrangements match the timing of the purchase agreement. Finalise your financing so you can sign the deeds at the notary without unnecessary pauses. Prepare the required paperwork well ahead so you move promptly when the right property appears.

FAQ