Why the Xpat Agent?
Hello, we are Kim and Mathijs Metselaars. Not only are we an entrepreneurial couple but we are also father and mother to three sons. Both born and raised in this region, we are the owners of a family businesses in real estate going back to 1981.
Eight years ago we bought our first property in another country, in Spain. In buying it we ran into many questions and problems such as: Where is the best place to buy a house? Is everything built legally? Can we change things without a permit? What are the rules here and who can we actually trust?
So even though we are experienced real estate agents ourselves and were buying in a western European country, we soon realized that it is quite difficult without the right help. If only we had had someone to guide us through this challenging process at that time. We made just about every rookie mistake you can make and that created a lot of hassle and extra costs as a result. Aaaaaaaah!
When we wanted to sell the property a few years later we again ran into similar challenges. This was also during the pandemic so communication on a personal level was difficult. But we still had many questions about the sales process. How does it work with taking photos etc. What are the costs? Which real estate agent should we choose to sell our property? How do we verify the buyer and sign the contracts?
So once again we found out that despite having sold homes thousands of times ourselves, things in other countries were usually quite different than we expected.
As we saw more and more international clients coming to the Brainport region in recent years, we believed that someone should help these people with their housing questions. Most Internationals come not only from a different country halfway around the globe, but also from a different culture. For example, we see large communities from India, China, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.
We know that it is a huge challenge to buy or sell a house in a country whose customs, processes and laws you do not know very well. We also know from our own experience how difficult it is to get good answers to all your questions.
That’s why we started the Xpat Agent. We are dedicated to help the international community in the Brainport region with their housing issues in the broad sense of the word. And not only with buying and selling but with much more than that.
Where do I get a good mortgage and who is a good notary? How do I plan my move? Who can help me remodel or make my house more sustainable? And how can we increase the value of your home?
These are all questions we had when we purchased a home away from home ourselves. So we understand your uncertainties but we are here to help you. We will listen to your wishes and try to answer all of your questions. We hope to meet you soon and contribute to your lovely Dutch life!
Warm regards,
Mathijs & Kim Metselaars, Founders of the Xpat Agent.
