Buying a Home in the Netherlands: Step by Step, With Your Mortgage (2026)

2026 at a glance

Buying in the Netherlands follows a fixed order. You can borrow up to the value of the home, but not the buying costs, so you need savings for those. The mortgage is tested against your income with official tables, and the interest is tax-deductible for 30 years if you repay at least on an annuity or linear schedule.

From first sum to the keys

A typical purchase of an existing home

1. Orientation
   Work out your budget

   Estimate your maximum mortgage with the 2026 norms (how much can I borrow?), check your BKR credit record, and count your savings for the buying costs.

2. Week 1 onwards
   Orientation interview with an adviser

   Often free. You leave with a realistic maximum and a list of documents: employer's statement, payslips, bank statements, ID.

3. Viewing
   View and bid

   A bid is not binding until both sides agree. In busy markets bids above the asking price are common; a buyer's agent (aankoopmakelaar) can advise on price and conditions.

4. Deal
   Purchase contract and 3-day cooling-off

   The contract must be in writing. As a private buyer of a home you get three days to change your mind without a reason. Include conditions (ontbindende voorwaarden) for financing, NHG and a building inspection.

5. Weeks after
   Deposit or bank guarantee

   Usually 10% of the price, as a cash deposit with the notary or a bank guarantee. It is your penalty if you back out after the conditions expire.

6. Before the deadline
   Valuation, application and mortgage offer

   A certified valuer reports the market value. The lender checks your file and issues a binding offer (bindend aanbod) that you sign before the financing condition runs out.

7. Transfer day
   At the notary

   You sign the deed of transfer (leveringsakte) and the mortgage deed (hypotheekakte). The notary pays the seller, collects the transfer tax and registers everything at the Kadaster. You get the keys.

8. After
   Register, and get your tax back monthly

   Register your new address with the municipality, then ask the Belastingdienst for a provisional assessment so the interest deduction is paid monthly.

From an accepted bid to the transfer usually takes a few months; the date is agreed in the purchase contract. New-build follows a different contract (koop-/aannemingsovereenkomst) with payments in instalments during construction.

Worked example: a couple buying a €450,000 home

Two partners earning €60,000 and €40,000 gross a year (holiday allowance included), aged 33 and 37, buy a home for €450,000 with energy label A, 50/50. Examples use 3.8% interest for 10 years fixed, the default in the mortgage calculator. That is an assumption, not a quote: compare current rates before you decide.

Maximum mortgage on income (2026 norms, 10 years fixed)

about €467,000

Maximum on value (100% of the price)

€450,000

Mortgage they take

€450,000, with NHG (below the €470,000 limit)

Gross monthly payment (annuity, 30 years)

€2,097

Transfer tax

€4,500: 0% on the half of the 33-year-old (starters exemption), 2% on the other half

NHG fee (0.4% of the loan)

€1,800

Tax saving in year 1, deduction with the higher earner

about €6,824 a year, or €569 a month

Net monthly cost, year 1

about €1,528

Every mortgage topic, one page each

Related: every tax you meet when buying, transfer tax, the eigenwoningforfait, and the rent vs buy calculator.

What you need in savings

• The buying costs: transfer tax (unless the starters exemption applies), notary, valuation, advice, NHG fee. Often several percent of the price.
• Any gap between the price and what you can borrow on income, or when the valuation comes in below the price you agreed.
• A buffer for moving, furniture and repairs. Your savings in the home leave Box 3, which can lower your Box 3 tax.
• Help from parents: once, a child aged 18 to 40 may receive €33,129 free of gift tax (2026). See the gift tax calculator.