Tips For Finding Yourself a Dutch Home

There are several ways to find your dream home.

And there are many things you as a buyer can do to keep an eye on whether a suitable home can be found for you. We will highlight the four most important ones.

Funda.nl: Well, who doesn’t know about Funda? It is the site in The Netherlands where most of the housing supply appears. Funda is perfect for taking a good look at your new home, studying the floor plan, taking a virtual tour, and learning something about the neighbourhood. There are also many options to set the search filters so that you only see listings that are interesting to you.

You can also create a personalized account on which you create your search profile. This way you automatically receive the new listings that are interesting to you in your inbox. The site works perfectly and the search for many prospective buyers starts on Funda.

Are there any other relevant web pages with the supply of homes?

No. Funda has no competition, and practically all homes offered for sale are on this page. Only the supply that makelaars in the so-called “silent sale” do not have. But then again, they are not on other sites either.

Word of mouth travels fast

The only disadvantage of Funda is the fact that everyone is looking at it. With you, there are a few thousand people who are also looking. To give an example; in October 2024, Funda had approximately 5000 registered searchers between €300,000 and €500,000 in Eindhoven.

The active Eindhoven housing supply on Funda at that time consisted of only 33 homes and 18 apartments! The conclusion is that Funda is very user-friendly and convenient but does not give a competitive advantage over other buyers.

You can also use your own network. In your own network, you have people who have gone through a similar process like friends, compatriots, neighbours, or colleagues. Ask them for advice, for example. Or do you happen to know that a colleague from your work is going to move to another country soon? Then ask them what the plans are for their home. You never know what it might lead to.

Also ask at the gym, the tennis club, or the coffee machine at work. Let people around you know that you are looking for a home. They will certainly want to help you, and you never know what it will yield.

Other sources: Exploring your options

Go Social

Follow several active makelaars (real estate agents) in the area where you’re interested in living. Many makelaars maintain social media profiles on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which they use to share updates and new listings. By following their pages, you can stay informed about the latest properties hitting the market.

What’s especially valuable is that these agents often post “sneak previews” of homes before they’re officially listed on Funda. These previews might include photos, key details about the property, or even announcements about upcoming open houses. This gives you a competitive advantage: you’ll have the chance to learn about new homes before they’re widely available, allowing you to act quickly and potentially secure a viewing before others.

To make the most of this strategy, engage with their posts by liking, commenting, or even reaching out directly if something catches your eye. It’s a great way to build rapport with local agents and stay ahead in the fast-moving housing market.

Work with a buyer’s makelaar

You can also choose to work with a makelaar. This has many advantages, including when looking for a home. A good makelaar can inform you about available homes before they are published on Funda.

The better makelaars offer you, among other things:

• Automated Search Index: An automated computer program in which you indicate your wishes. The program sees what you like based on your user profile and is self-learning. It adjusts the selection of homes especially for you based on your search behavior and clicks. The most important advantage of this program is that the homes that are new to the market first go through this program before they go to Funda.
• Networking: Makelaars also communicate with each other about the latest offers they receive. They have a WhatsApp group in which they pass on the new housing offers they receive to their fellow makelaars. In this way, they spread the information about their client’s home. Fellow makelaars then also check whether they know a client for it and can then, for example, guide this relationship as a makelaar. Your makelaar therefore knows well before the publication on Funda which homes are going to be on the market. Buyer’s makelaars have a vast network of real estate professionals that they can refer you to, from trusted mortgage advisors to home inspectors and notaries.
• Local Knowledge: A good makelaar will know if that home you are considering is in an up and coming neighbourhood, or was recently involved in some unsavoury business. They will also know more about homes being listed before those homes land on Funda.
• Home Viewing Access: It is an unwritten rule among makelaars that when a potential buyer uses a makelaar, the sales makelaar always makes room for it.

A Tip from The Xpat Agent

Top tip from the Xpat Agent: Get out there! If you want to know what a nice neighbourhood is to live in, don’t just look at the computer screen. Of course you can find relevant information online. But get out there! Get in your car or better yet, get on your bike and go for a ride!

Set aside time to drive around the neighbourhoods that seem interesting to you.

Have a drink on a terrace or talk to someone on the street. Do your weekly shopping in the place you think would be nice to live in. Or look in that village that you don’t know much about during the weekend.

You might really like it. So, get away from your screen and go out there! You will definitely learn something new!