House-buying steps in the Netherlands, start to finish

Buying a home in the Netherlands in 2026, step by step: budget, viewings, offer and conditions, contract, cooling-off and notary. With an example.

Written by: Woningmarkt NL editors. Updated 17 October 2026

1. Get your bearings

Start with your budget, not with viewings.

Borrowing room. See how much you can borrow on your income in the mortgage calculator. The rules are in how much can I borrow.
Savings. Your mortgage may not exceed 100% of the market value, so you usually pay the buying costs yourself.
Where? Compare prices by municipality on the map, check house prices by city or compare two cities.
NHG? If your loan fits under €470,000, read NHG mortgage explained.

2. Viewings

Ideally view a home twice, at different times. Ask about the energy label, maintenance, the owners' association (VvE, for apartments) and ground lease (erfpacht). A building survey is something you arrange and pay for yourself. You can hire your own buying agent; the seller's agent works for the seller.

3. Offer and conditions

An offer is more than a number. You can add conditions (voorbehouden), for example:

financing condition: you can withdraw if you cannot get the mortgage;
building survey condition;
a preferred completion date.

An offer without conditions is more attractive to the seller, but riskier for you. How often buyers pay above asking, and what happens if the valuation is lower, is in overbidding in the Netherlands.

4. Purchase contract and cooling-off period

Once you agree, the sale is recorded in a written purchase contract. As a private buyer you then have a three-day statutory cooling-off period. It starts the day after you receive the contract signed by both parties. In that time you can withdraw without a reason and without cost. If it would end on a weekend or public holiday, it runs to the next working day.

The contract also covers a deposit or bank guarantee and the dates your conditions expire. Check those dates carefully.

5. Mortgage and notary

After signing, you finalise the mortgage, have the home valued and send documents to the lender. Then you and the seller go to the notary:

the transfer deed (akte van levering) makes you the owner and is registered with the Kadaster;
the mortgage deed records the loan;
you pay the price and buying costs, including transfer tax, through the notary.

If you are 18 or older but younger than 35 and meet the conditions, you sign a declaration for the first-time buyer exemption at the notary.

Worked example

Two buyers aged 31 and 33 buy a €350,000 home together to live in, with a €350,000 NHG mortgage. Neither has used the exemption before.

Transfer tax: 0%, because they meet the conditions and €350,000 is below €555,000.
If one of them were 36, that person would pay 2% on their own share: €3,500 with an equal split.
NHG fee: 0.4% of €350,000 = €1,400.
Add notary, valuation and advice. Add it all up in the buying costs calculator.

Disclaimer

This guide is indicative and not financial or legal advice. Your own situation may work out differently. Talk to an independent mortgage adviser, a buying agent and the notary.

This text was written with AI assistance. The editors checked the rules and figures against the sources below (as of 17 October 2026).

Sources

Rijksoverheid, Cooling-off period after buying a home (Dutch): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/vraag-en-antwoord/huis-kopen/hoeveel-bedenktijd-heb-ik-na-het-kopen-van-een-woning
Rijksoverheid, Buying a home: checklist (Dutch): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/vraag-en-antwoord/huis-kopen/checklist-woning-kopen
Rijksoverheid, Transfer tax exemption (Dutch): https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/vraag-en-antwoord/huis-kopen/vrijstelling-overdrachtsbelasting
Belastingdienst, Transfer tax rate (Dutch): https://www.belastingdienst.nl/wps/wcm/connect/bldcontentnl/belastingdienst/prive/woning/overdrachtsbelasting/tarieven_overdrachtsbelasting/het_tarief_van_de_overdrachtbelasting
NHG, NHG limit in 2026 (Dutch): https://www.nhg.nl/nhg-actueel/nhg-grens-in-2026-vastgesteld-op-470000/
Temporary Mortgage Credit Regulation 2026 (Dutch): https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0032503/2026-01-01/0

Not financial advice. This guide explains rules; your own situation may work out differently.

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