The 3 ways you can buy a home in the Netherlands
There are 3 approaches you can take to buying a home.
Approach 1: buying on your own, without an agent
If you try and buy on your own, without a buyer’s agent, you’ll probably struggle to get viewings, because you’ll lack access to pre-Funda and off-market listings.
If you place a bid, you’ll do it based mostly on guesswork. This can cost you huge amounts of time as well as money.
Approach 2: buying with a traditional buyer’s agent
If you use a traditional buyer’s agent, you’ll find it easier to book viewings, but you’ll still risk missing out on some properties, since human agents can’t offer instant alerts, and don’t always have access to all listings.
When you find somewhere, you’ll have the agent’s bidding advice, which will reduce your stress, but it might cost you as much as €20-50k in an unnecessarily large overbid.
Approach 3: Buying with Roofmatch
If you buy with Roofmatch, you’ll get instant alerts for every property match, and be able to book viewings the second the alert comes through. You’ll also get access to pre-market and off-market homes from 100s of sites, so you won’t miss out on anything that fits your criteria.
Once you’ve found a home, you’ll be able to bid with confidence, and save €20-50k. Our AI-powered bidding calculator uses 12,000 data points to pinpoint the most likely winning bid. So you don’t overbid when a lower bid would do, but you don’t bid too low and miss out either.
But if you do buy with Roofmatch, what will it actually be like? And how does it really compare to using a traditional agent?
A step-by-step guide to buying your first home with Roofmatch
Step 1: Book a free, no-obligation 30-minute call
You’ll speak to one of our experienced buyer’s agents about all the essentials: when you want to move, where you want to be, how long you’ve been looking and what your budget is.
You’ll then:
- Create a free, personalised buying plan to make your purchase easier (even if you decide not to work with us).
- Discover how Roofmatch works at every step, including how we could save you €20-50k.
- Set up free, pre-Funda alerts so you can start getting instant home matches, including for off-market homes you wouldn’t normally get to see. You’ll get to keep these alerts, even if you don’t sign up for Roofmatch.
Step 2: See a mortgage advisor
It’s vital that you have your mortgage arranged before you start bidding.
If you haven’t done this yet, we can put you in touch with one of our trusted mortgage advisors (or you can arrange this yourself if you prefer).
Step 3: Book viewings and find your home
With your real-time property alerts set up, you’ll get an alert every time our bots find a match.
You can book viewings easily, the second the alert comes through, and you’ll be at the front of the queue to get your slot.
Step 4: Bid and negotiate
Found a home you love? Then it’s time for our AI bidding calculator to do its job.
Our buyer’s agents will use it to help calculate the most likely winning bid, and they’ll also negotiate with the seller on your behalf. So you can save €20-50k and maximise your chances.
And if you’re not successful the first time? No problem. With Roofmatch you get unlimited AI valuations, so you can keep going until you find the right place.
Step 5: Valuation and inspection
If you’ve chosen Buyer Pro+ (just €3,599 vs €2,599 for Buyer Pro), we will:
- Arrange a valuation for your lender so you can get your mortgage confirmed.
- Arrange a building inspection so you know there are no lurking structural problems or big repairs needed.
- Review your purchase agreement to make sure it works for you.
If you don’t have Pro+, you can arrange these things yourself.
Step 6: Finalise the purchase and get the keys!
Time to head to the notary’s office, get your keys, and move in!
With Buyer Pro+, we’ll arrange the notary and key handover on your behalf. Plus, we’ll be available to you for questions for 2 months after the purchase is finalised.
Want to compare Roofmatch Buyer Pro and Buyer Pro+? Check out this page.
What does Roofmatch really cost?
It could cost you absolutely nothing.
Because if you sign up, can’t find a home with us, you won’t pay us a cent.
You’ll also get to keep the free pre-Funda alerts you set up on your free initial call.
If you do find a home with Roofmatch, you’ll pay:
- €2,599 for Roofmatch Pro.
Including alerts plus unlimited valuations, bidding and negotiation on your behalf.
- €3,599 for Roofmatch Pro+.
Including all the above, plus we’ll do all the other legwork: arranging the building inspection, bank valuation and notary.
And you’ll save €20-50k on your purchase thanks to our pinpointed AI-assisted bidding.
By contrast, if you use a traditional buyer’s agent, you’ll pay:
- Around 1% of the purchase price, or
- A fixed fee of €4,000+.
And you’ll be working with an agent who doesn’t have access to AI bidding or comprehensive data, and who therefore might end up costing you €20-50k in an unnecessarily large overbid.