Tips

Tips for buying a house or apartment

When buying a house or apartment, there is a lot involved. It is advisable to let a professional buyer's agent guide you through this process. Yet you can also do a lot yourself. On this page we give you a number of useful tips that you can use when buying a home. Do you have any tips that should not be missed? Let us know!

Think about what you really need

Make a good inventory of the minimum space you think you'll need. Analyze how many m2 you currently have available and how much extra (or less) space you want in your new home. It is also important to estimate how long you expect to live in the new home.

Determine your financial possibilities

Get advice from a licensed mortgage broker. This will tell you exactly what you can borrow so you will immediately know which homes are within your reach. The asking price is not always the selling price. There are often negotiations, so a house can fall within your financial possibilities.

Explore the neighborhood at different times

If you have found a neighborhood / district you would like to live in, drive through it at different times. This way you can find out if there are many children playing in the neighborhood, for example on Wednesday afternoons and in the weekends. It will also become clear whether the café on the corner is a major nuisance, etc.

Also use Google and social media to search for street names and neighborhood names. This will sometimes reveal important information that will help you make the right purchase decision. You can also have a chat with residents in the neighborhood and ask them for their living experiences. Also consult our extensive neighborhood information.

Find out about the bidding procedure / sales process

Different bidding procedures may apply for the sale of a home, each with its own specific characteristics. Find out more about the bidding procedure for the property that interests you. Some common bidding procedures are: multiperson viewings and public registration (all bidders get an equal chance to make an offer). Also read our article on bidding systems.

Do extensive research

It is very important to do extra research when you have found a nice house. Think about hiring an architectural specialist, but also consult zoning plans, environmental aspects, the data from the land register, the rules of the Owners Association (VVE) and provisions of the municipality and province. If you engage a buying agent, then this person will take care of this, or guide you through it.

Check the official documents

If you are about to buy a new home, check all the documents carefully. It may be boring, but it can prevent many problems later. Think of the title deed, documents of the VVE (for apartments), clean land declaration, etc. If you engage the services of a real estate agent, he or she will request and check the essential documents for you.

Inform how the house has been measured

An NVM agent is obliged to determine the number of square meters of a house on the basis of a fixed measuring technique. Because of this, every NVM agent will arrive at the same m2 when measuring the same house. For example, it has been agreed that rooms lower than 1.5 meters should not count in the measurement. So inform well which measurement method is used.

Get the most out of the negotiations

Once you have found your dream home, it is time to negotiate about the price. This is an exciting moment and is also bound by rules. Negotiating is actually a profession that is best left to an expert. A good purchasing broker will always negotiate the most favorable price for you. The costs of the real estate agent will therefore be earned back immediately. So don't skimp on this!

Use resolutory conditions if necessary

When you make an offer on a house, you can do so subject to resolutive conditions. On the basis of these conditions you can have a purchase agreement dissolved. Some examples of resolutive conditions are: not being able to obtain a residence permit, not being able to arrange financing and negative building advice. Bear in mind that your offer will be less attractive to the seller if you use a lot of resolutive conditions.

Always inspect the property before transfer

Just before delivery of a property you have the right to inspect it. At that time you can check whether the property has been left as agreed. Make use of this opportunity to avoid surprises. Also note down the meter readings and have them recorded by the notary during the transfer so that no misunderstandings can arise.

 

 

Tips for selling your home or apartment

Selling a home is more complicated than it may seem. It is therefore advisable to let a professional sales agent guide you through the process. You can also do a lot yourself to speed up the sale. On this page we give you a number of useful tips that you can use when selling your home.

Make sure your home is tidy

Potential buyers find it difficult to look through a full house. A full house seems smaller. Tidy up your home as much as possible and store things externally if necessary! Also make sure your house smells fresh.

Remove personal belongings

If people are viewing a house and they see a lot of personal items, they will quickly feel like a guest instead of a potential buyer. Remove personal items as much as possible. Think of pictures, toothbrushes, drawings, etc.

Make sure there is space and light

Make sure your home looks as spacious as possible. Remove unnecessary items. Paint walls in neutral colors and open up curtains and blinds. In winter, it can also help to screw light bulbs with a slightly higher wattage into the fittings.

Make the bathroom as attractive as possible

Also, make sure the bathroom is in good order. Have moldy sealant edges replaced and take a critical look at other parts of your bathroom as well. Tackle any moldy spots and replace an old shower curtain. Clean up the bathroom and remove unnecessary and personal items as much as possible. Check that all wet towels are gone and that there is no dirty laundry left. Make sure the bathroom looks clean and smells good.

Make sure the kitchen is spick and span

The kitchen is another important room. Pick up overdue maintenance: replace unsightly sealant edges, make sure everything is well painted (neutral colors) and that the doors are neatly hung. Make sure the kitchen is tidy, the dishwasher is empty and there are no more dishes. Hang up clean tea towels and towels. Make sure the kitchen looks clean and smells fresh.

Make the garden a real eye-catcher

A garden is often an eye-catcher. Make sure it is tidy. Is it autumn or winter: make sure that the leaves as much as possible are gone. Also make sure that the furniture is clean. Also tidy up your shed and mow the grass.

Consider hiring an interior stylist

More and more people are hiring an interior stylist. An interior stylist can give your home a light and spacious look with simple adjustments. They know what buyers look for and will decorate your home as attractively as possible.

Have professional photos taken

If photos of your home are published it is important that they are taken professionally. Even if your house is very beautiful, if it is ugly in the picture, there is a big chance that you will not get any visitors! A good photographer knows exactly how to make your property as attractive as possible. Make sure your home is tidy and have the photos taken on a sunny day.

Make smart use of your own social media network

You can easily share the information of your property on our website with your own social network(s) so that even more people will see that your property is for sale. If you also ask your friends and relations to like, share and retweet your message, a lot of people will see that your property is for sale. If you are active on multiple social networks, consider sharing your sales information on all of them. To make it easier for you, we have made an explanation per social network.

Repair small defects

Take a critical look at your home and repair small defects, such as loose baseboards, leaky faucets, squeaky and jammed doors, etc. If you are not very handy yourself, hire someone who can do this for you. For example, use the website klusopmaat.nl.

Ensure a pleasant temperature

Make sure the temperature in your home is pleasant when people come to see it.

Have your home checked for energetic blockages

Sometimes a house carries ballast from the past. This can be felt subconsciously and can hinder the sale. You can investigate if there is something that hinders the sale. Because blockages in your home are often so familiar you can also call in expert help. For example, see www.flowinhome.com.

Negotiate smart

If you have found a buyer for your home, it's time to start negotiating the price. This is an exciting moment! Negotiating is actually a skill that is best left to an expert. A good sales agent will always negotiate the most favorable price for you, so you will quickly recover your investment. Do not skimp on this!

Determine the right asking price

Anyone selling their home will always wonder what the ideal selling price is. The real estate agent will usually be able to give good advice on this, but then the question remains: what are the psychological effects when determining the asking price? This is what the website Housing market figures also wondered and studied what influence rounded figures have on the selling time of a house.

The conclusion: "The lowest theoretical sales time can be achieved by offering a house for an amount rounded to a ton. Pricing just above a rounded amount is disastrous for the chances of selling."

 

 

Tips for owners of a house or apartment

On this page we share useful tips for owners of a house or apartment.

Objection WOZ

At the beginning of every new year the WOZ assessment falls on the doormat. The height of the WOZ value is important because various taxes are linked to it. The higher the value, the more tax you pay! If you disagree with the new WOZ assessment, you can lodge an objection. We have prepared a sample objection form (Word format) which you can use as a basis.

All the information from your municipality is available on your mobile phone

If you have a SmartPhone, you can use the iGGIS app to directly request information from your municipality, such as building permit applications in your area. The app is available for both Apple iPhone and Android.

  • Apple - iTunes
  • Android - Google Play 

 


Tips for the valuation of your house or apartment

For various situations it is necessary to have a residential house or apartment valued by an independent appraiser. For example, if you are going to buy a home then an appraisal report is needed to obtain financing. An appraiser looks at the state of maintenance, the type of house, the location and the size of the house, among other things. The appraiser will prepare an appraisal report with an estimate of the sales value.

Determine the purpose of the appraisal

Always check with the lender as to what requirements the valuation report must meet. There can be differences between the types of valuations. This ultimately determines the difference in costs that you must incur for the valuation report.

Check the certification of the appraiser

There are two recognized registers for appraisers: VastgoedCert and SCVM. Check whether your appraiser is registered here. Sometimes the lender also requires that the appraiser is validated by the NWWI. In that case, the valuation report will be checked by the NWWI. If this is a requirement of your lender, check carefully whether your appraiser has been validated by the NWWI.

Do not pay too much for an appraisal

For an appraisal often two fee models are used: a percentage of the appraised value, or a fixed rate. Calculate what is the most favorable model for you. Keep in mind that additional costs are often charged such as administration costs, VAT, land registry costs, etc. Find out more about this.

Provide the appraiser with the right information

For the appraisal, the appraiser also needs all sorts of information from you. Make sure you have this complete before the visit of the appraiser. Think of: proof of ownership and other documents, note the ages of improvements made to your home and make sure you have a copy of the WOZ value. Inform in advance with your appraiser what he/she needs (a good appraiser will make this known in advance).

Inform how it was measured

An NVM agent is required to determine the number of square meters of a house based on an established measuring technique: the NEN 2580. Because of this, every NVM agent will arrive at the same m². Find out if the measurements are made in the correct manner.

Choose a different appraiser than your buying agent

If you have hired a purchasing agent, then he or she is a certified appraiser. However, they are not allowed to value the property because they have been involved in the purchase process. So you have to hire another certified appraiser for this.

Make use of the option to deduct the cost of your appraisal

The cost of an appraisal for financing, in many cases, is deductible. Make use of this arrangement to save costs. Be well informed about this by your financial advisor.