Frequently asked questions

We have collected and answered the most frequently asked questions for you. Do you still have a question? Please contact us.

After signing the purchase agreement, the buyer has, by law, three days to reflect. The buyer has the right to cancel the purchase of the property within these 3 days. The 3-day reflection period starts after a signed copy of the agreement has been handed over to the buyer, but there are some ifs and buts.

Read more about the statutory cooling-off period click here

The broker's commission is not part of the buyer's costs and must be paid separately by the buyer. This means that you will receive an invoice for this from your purchasing agent.

A title deed is the document certified by the Land Registry that proves that you are the owner of the home. A title deed belongs to a home and is not personal. When a home is transferred, the notary's copy is provided to the next owner.

A title deed is the document certified by the Land Registry that proves that you are the owner of the home. A title deed belongs to a home and is not personal. When a home is transferred, the notary's copy is provided to the next owner.

Since January 1, 2015, an energy label has become mandatory upon delivery of your home once it has been sold. If you cannot provide a final energy label when transferring your home, you risk a fine.

“Buyer Costs”, usually abbreviated as kk after the asking price, means that the transfer costs are borne by the buyer. These are the costs that the government links to the transfer of a home. These are the transfer tax, the notary costs for drawing up the deed of transfer and the costs for registering it in the registers. In addition, the buyer must take into account the (notary) costs for drawing up and registering the mortgage deed. If the selling party has engaged an estate agent to sell the property, the costs will be borne by him. After all, the selling agent represents the interests of the seller and not of you as a buyer. The broker's commission for a purchasing broker will be borne by the buyer.

No. The selling agent determines the sales procedure together with the seller. He does have a duty to inform you about this. If you are seriously interested, ask the broker what your position is. That can prevent disappointment.

The seller determines what he is selling his home for in consultation with his real estate agent. The buyer can negotiate the price, but the seller decides. This applies to all matters that the seller considers important to decide on and for the decision whether he wants to sell his home to this buyer.

Yes that is allowed. Sometimes there are so many interested parties who offer or approach the asking price that it is difficult to determine who the best buyer is. In that case, the selling agent can, in consultation with the seller, decide to terminate the ongoing negotiations and change the bidding procedure and then opt for, for example, a registration procedure. All bidders have an equal chance of submitting the highest bid. Before changing the system, the broker must of course first fulfill any commitments made.

If the seller and buyer verbally agree on the most important matters in the purchase (usually the price, delivery date and resolutory conditions), a sale has been concluded. The selling agent records this purchase in a purchase agreement. It must state what the parties have agreed. Consider, for example, the penalty clause. Such additional agreements only apply once the contract of sale has been signed by both parties or has been verbally approved in advance. A resolutive condition is an important topic. The parties must agree on this before the verbal purchase. Please note: as a buyer you will not automatically receive a resolutive condition for the financing. You must state in your bid that this is “subject to financing”. The purchase only becomes final after the purchase agreement has been signed by both the seller and the buyer and the three-day cooling-off period for the buyer has expired.

The answer is yes. If the asking price is only an invitation to make an offer (as described under “Do I become a buyer if I offer the asking price?”), then the seller can also decide to lower or increase the asking price. During a negotiation, parties often make mutual offers. If the selling party accepts an offer, it is a purchase. If the seller makes a counter offer, the buyer can complete the purchase by accepting it. The other way around is also possible. If the potential buyer makes a counter-offer that differs from the offer that the selling party has previously made, this previous offer from the selling party will lapse. So even if the parties “come together” in the bidding process, the seller can suddenly decide to increase his counter offer again and the buyer to lower his offer again.

That's allowed. A negotiation does not necessarily have to lead to a sale. The seller may also want to know if there is more interest. The first bidder does not necessarily have to be the best. That is why the viewings continue. The selling agent will often tell interested parties that he is, as they say, “under offer”. An interested party may make an offer, but will not receive an answer until the negotiation with the first interested party has ended. The broker will not make any announcements about the amount of bids. This could provoke overbidding.

You cannot force yourself to be in negotiations. You are only in negotiation when the seller responds to your offer. So: if the seller makes a counter offer. The selling agent can also expressly indicate that he is negotiating with you. You are not negotiating if the selling agent indicates that he will discuss your offer with the seller.

NVM Online Bidding is a new digital bidding system offered and supported by the NVM. ECHT Makelaars & Taxateurs NVM is the first to use Online Bidding in the Alkmaar region. We believe transparency in the housing market is very important. We do not (yet) use NVM Online Bidding for all homes. It remains the choice of our client, the seller, to use this system. NVM Online Bidding is not an auction system. It is open and transparent registration.

Read more about NVM Online Bidding Click here

Top