NL Calculate my bid

Buying agent or bidding advice: what fits your home purchase in the Netherlands?

A Dutch buying agent or buyer's agent (aankoopmakelaar) usually costs €2,000 to €4,000 and takes viewings and negotiation off your hands. Many internationals hire an English-speaking buying agent because the Dutch process is new to them. If your main doubt is how much to bid, a bidding advice report for €24.95 answers that, based on what buyers in the neighbourhood paid.

Calculate my bid See the differences

€24.95Not satisfied? Money back

Buying agent €2,000 to €4,000per home, at a fixed fee
  • Comes along to viewings
  • Negotiates on your behalf
  • Guides you for weeks to months
Bidding advice report €24.95one-off, not satisfied means money back
  • Your chance of getting the home per bid
  • Five or more sales from the neighbourhood
  • Filled in within two minutes
  • €1,500 to €5,000Usual fixed fee of a buying agent in 2026
  • 1 to 2.5%Commission when the agent charges a percentage of the sale price
  • 45%of recent buyers hired a buying agent (Radar, a Dutch consumer programme, 2021)
  • €24.95Bidding advice report per home

01 Comparison

Buying agent and bidding advice report side by side

A buying agent takes searching, viewing and negotiating off your hands. The report calculates which bid gives you a chance, and you do the rest yourself.

Buying agent Bidding advice reportfrom Biedadviseur.nl
Costs €2,000 to €4,000 at a fixed fee, or 1 to 2.5% of the sale price €24.95 per home
Payment Usually at the notaris (civil-law notary), at the transfer. Sometimes a start-up fee in advance In advance with iDEAL or card. Not satisfied? Money back
What you get Guidance from the search to the handover of the keys Your chance per bid amount, the expected sale price and five or more sales from the neighbourhood
Time Weeks to months, from the first meeting Two minutes to fill in. After payment your report opens on the website
Viewing Comes along and checks the condition of the home You go yourself, with the neighbourhood sale prices to hand
Bidding Makes the bid and negotiates on your behalf You make the bid yourself, with supporting figures for each amount
Building condition Takes a look. An inspection of €400 to €800 is paid separately Not part of the report. In doubt? Have an inspection done
Interest in the price With a percentage, the fee rises with the sale price Fixed amount: we earn nothing from a higher bid

Fees differ per agency and region. For each agency, check whether the fee includes or excludes VAT.

02 Costs

What does a buying agent (aankoopmakelaar) cost in the Netherlands?

Usually a fixed fee. Amounts between €1,500 and €5,000 are common. A buyer's agent in Amsterdam or Utrecht more often charges between €4,000 and €6,000.

Sometimes a percentage. The commission (courtage) is then usually between 1 and 2.5% of the sale price. For a home of €400,000 at 1% commission you pay €4,840 including VAT.

Compare in advance. The NVM (the largest Dutch association of estate agents) sets no fees, so ask two or three agencies for their fees before you choose.

Not tax-deductible

The costs of a buying agent are not deductible from income tax (Belastingdienst, in Dutch).

They are part of the kosten koper (buyer's costs). You normally pay these from your own money, because a Dutch mortgage covers at most 100% of the home's value.

Calculator: what does a buying agent cost at your purchase price?Slide the purchase price and choose the fee type.

€400,000
The agent's fee
Buying agent €4,840 €4,000 + 21% VAT
Bidding advice report €24.95 fixed amount, including VAT

You save €4,815

Calculate my bid

The calculator uses 21% VAT. A start-up fee, a performance bonus and a building inspection come on top.

Costs that often come on top

These amounts are usually separate from the agent's fee.

  • + €250 to €500

    Start-up fee

    Also payable if you end up not buying the home.

  • + agreed costs

    Withdrawal costs

    If you end the assignment, you pay the costs made so far. Commission is then not due, unless the assignment says otherwise.

  • + bonus

    Performance bonus

    If the agent buys the home for you below the asking price.

  • + €400 to €850

    Inspection and valuation

    A bouwkundige keuring (building inspection) and a valuation report you always pay yourself, with or without an agent.

Prefer to watch?

In this video (in Dutch), a lawyer from Vereniging Eigen Huis, the Dutch homeowners' association, explains which costs to expect when you hire a buying agent. The video dates from 2018, so current fees may differ.

03 What you get

What a buying agent does for that money

The buying agent works for you as the buyer. The selling agent (verkoopmakelaar) works for the seller and aims for the highest possible price.

  1. Searching

    Drawing up a search profile and selecting homes for you.

  2. Viewing

    Coming along to viewings and looking out for defects.

  3. Valuing

    Estimating what the home is worth and which bid stands a chance.

    Also in the report

  4. Negotiating

    Making the bid and negotiating on price and conditions.

  5. Completing

    Checking the koopakte (purchase agreement), keeping track of deadlines and doing a final inspection.

Most of the hours go into viewing and negotiating, and that is what the few thousand euros pay for. Our report covers step 3 for €24.95, with the sale prices of comparable homes in the neighbourhood.

04 What fits you

Do you need a buying agent, or is a report enough?

A buying agent is not required. In a 2021 survey by Radar, 45% of recent buyers hired one, so most buyers bought on their own.

A buying agent fits better if

  • you want someone with building knowledge to take a look, for example with an older house;
  • you would rather leave the negotiating to someone else;
  • you are buying in a region you do not know yet, or the Dutch process is new to you and you want an English-speaking agent at your side;
  • you have little time for viewings, contracts and deadlines;
  • you are buying something out of the ordinary, such as a home on leasehold land (erfpacht), a listed building or an apartment with an owners' association (VvE) you want checked.

A bidding advice report is enough if

  • you do the viewings yourself and your main doubt is the amount, since you usually cannot see what others bid;
  • your budget is tight and you would rather not spend €2,000 or more on guidance;
  • you want to check the selling agent's bid advice against real sale prices;
  • you are bidding on several homes and want to know for each one which bid stands a chance.
Calculate my bid

If you choose a buying agent, the report still helps. You put the neighbourhood sale prices next to your agent's advice and see for yourself whether the proposed bid matches what buyers actually paid.

Choice helper: do you need a buying agent?

Answer four questions. You see straight away what fits your purchase better.

  1. Do you want someone with building knowledge to come along to the viewing?
  2. Would you rather leave the negotiating to someone else?
  3. Do you know the neighbourhood and roughly what homes sell for there?
  4. Is your main question how much to bid?

Bidding advice report €24.95

Know in two minutes which bid gives you a chance

Paste the link from Funda (the main Dutch listing site) or type the address. After payment your report opens straight away on the website, with your chance of getting the home for each amount.

Example: your bidChance of getting the home

  1. €352,33130%
  2. €361,68750%
  3. €372,16370%
  4. €388,24390%

From the report for Karel Doormanlaan 378 in Hilversum: asking price €350,000, expected sale price €361,687. See the sample report

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05 Figures per city

How much buyers overbid in Amsterdam, Utrecht and other cities

Nationally, 69% of homes sold above the vraagprijs (asking price), with a median of 3.9%. Per city this varies widely, which is why an average says little about your home.

Median overbid compared with the asking price, July 2025 to June 2026, based on registered sale prices. The city pages are in Dutch. All 50 municipalities are on overbidding in the Netherlands. What this means for your bid is explained in how much to bid on a house.

06 Our story

Why we did not hire a buying agent ourselves

We were both looking for a house. We found a buying agent at a few thousand euros too expensive, and we had the feeling that agents mostly settle things among themselves.

So Niek, a data scientist, spent ten months on the calculation model behind every report, based on officially registered sale prices. Read our story.

With my dream home I had no idea what to bid, and it went to someone else. What it finally sold for, I could only see months later, once the sale was registered with the Kadaster. By then it is no use to you.

Dion SmitsCo-founder

07 Checklist

What to check when you hire a buying agent

If you choose a buying agent, English-speaking or not, agree in advance what you get and what it costs.

  • Engagement letter

    Have the fee, the services and the costs of stopping early put in writing (opdrachtbevestiging) before the agent starts.

  • Including or excluding VAT

    Agencies sometimes quote their fee without VAT. With 21% VAT, €3,500 becomes €4,235.

  • Fixed amount or percentage

    With a percentage, the fee rises with your bid. The Consumentenbond (Dutch consumers' association, in Dutch) recommends a fixed amount, possibly with a bonus if the agent buys the home for you below the asking price.

  • Member of NVM, VBO or Vastgoedpro

    Agents in these associations work with the same general consumer terms. These also state that an agent cannot work for the buyer and the seller at the same time in the same sale.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about buying agents in the Netherlands

Do I need a buying agent in the Netherlands?
No, a buying agent (aankoopmakelaar) is not required. Without an agent you do the viewings yourself, make your own bid and sign the koopakte (purchase agreement); the notaris (civil-law notary) handles the transfer. An agent helps if you want guidance with viewings and negotiation. If your main doubt is the amount, a bidding advice report answers that for €24.95.
What does a buying agent cost on average?
At a fixed fee you usually pay €2,000 to €4,000, in Amsterdam and Utrecht more often €4,000 to €6,000. If the agent charges a percentage, the commission (courtage) is between 1 and 2.5% of the sale price. Check whether the amount includes or excludes 21% VAT, and whether a start-up fee comes on top.
Are the costs of a buying agent tax-deductible?
No. The Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax Administration, in Dutch) does not count the costs of a buying agent as deductible costs for your own home. Valuation costs you make for your mortgage are deductible.
Can you buy a house without a buying agent?
Yes. View the home yourself, have a bouwkundige keuring (building inspection) done if in doubt and include ontbindende voorwaarden (conditions that let you cancel the purchase) for your financing and the inspection. Have the koopakte checked before you sign, for example by your notaris. For your bid, the report shows what comparable homes in the neighbourhood sold for.
Does a buying agent give you a better chance of getting a house?
A buying agent knows the local market and talks to the selling agent (verkoopmakelaar). That gives no guarantee: the seller chooses the bid that brings in the most, with the fewest conditions. The report shows for each bid amount how likely you are to get the home, so you decide how much risk you take.
When do you pay a buying agent?
Usually at the notaris, at the transfer of the home. Under the general consumer terms of the Dutch estate agency sector, the commission is only due once the purchase is final, so after the bedenktijd (3-day cooling-off period) and the conditions. A start-up fee is sometimes paid in advance.
What if the buying agent is also the selling agent?
That is not allowed. Under the general consumer terms of NVM, VBO and Vastgoedpro, an agent cannot work for the buyer and the seller at the same time in the same sale. If it does happen, the agent consults both clients and ends one of the two assignments.
Is overbidding by €30,000 a lot?
That depends on the asking price. With an asking price of €400,000, €30,000 is an overbid of 7.5%, almost twice the national median of 3.9%. In a popular municipality it can fit, elsewhere you would pay too much. Overbidding in the Netherlands shows the figures per municipality, and the report calculates it for the home itself.
What is in the €24.95 bidding advice report?
Your chance of getting the home per bid amount, the expected sale price, tips to make your bid stronger and at least five sold homes from the neighbourhood with the actual sale price, on a map. Your report opens on the website after payment. Not satisfied? Then you get your money back. See the sample report.

Calculate your bid for the home you have in mind

Paste the Funda link or type the address. You see your chance of getting the home for each amount, backed by sales from the neighbourhood.

  • €24.95 one-off
  • Secure payment with iDEAL or card
  • Your report online right away
  • Not satisfied? Money back