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Multiple offers on a house in the Netherlands: how to bid

Are there multiple offers on a house you want? When the estate agent (makelaar) says there are several interested buyers, the agent may negotiate with all of you at the same time, as long as you are told so1. You will not hear what the others offer2. Often everyone gets one last chance to make a final offer. Below you can read what happens then and how to make an offer that gives you a real chance.

Calculate my bid What the agent says

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By Niek (data scientist, MSc) and Dion Smits · Updated on

Other buyers interested? Here is what you need to know

  • The agent may talk to everyoneBut the agent does tell you so.
  • You will not hear what others offerNot even if you ask.
  • A final round often followsThen you get one chance for your best offer.

What the agent does when there are multiple offers

You usually negotiate with the seller through the seller's agent3. When more buyers come forward, it then usually goes one of these three ways.

  1. The agent negotiates with several buyers at once

    You get a counter-offer or hear that your offer is not enough. Talking to more than one buyer at a time is allowed, as long as the agent tells you1.

    You: decide each round whether to go higher.

  2. Everyone gets a final chance

    The agent asks all buyers to make their “highest and best offer” before a fixed time1.

    You: make your best offer in one go.

  3. The home goes to a sealed bid

    In a sealed bid (inschrijving) there is a closing date. All buyers hear this at the same time, together with the reason2.

    You: make one offer before the closing date. See sealed bids in the Netherlands.

How much competition can you expect?

Less than the year before. At the end of 2025 there were fewer viewers and fewer offers per home than a year earlier4. That is a national average. In popular places the competition is much greater, and you see that in the price: in Utrecht buyers paid 12.8% above the asking price (vraagprijs)5, with far more bidders.

Offers per home

End of 20252.8
End of 20243.7

24% fewer

Viewings per home

End of 20257.5
End of 202410.4

28% fewer

How far above the asking price homes sold

69% sold above the asking price

  • 21% more than 10% above
  • 48% up to 10% above
  • 31% at or below the asking price

Offers and viewings: averages from NVM agents, fourth quarter4. The NVM is the largest association of Dutch estate agents. Asking price: all sales from July 2025 to June 2026, calculated by Biedadviseur5. For each municipality, see overbidding per municipality.

Tip from Dion

Feel free to ask the agent how many viewings there have been. And check on Funda (the main Dutch listing site) how often the home has been saved as a favourite. Then you know roughly how much interest there is.

Dion Smits, co-founder

What the agent may and may not tell you

The seller's agent (verkopende makelaar) works for the seller. There are rules, though, for how the agent deals with buyers. NVM agents have set these down in their code of conduct (Erecode) and bidding protocol23.

The agent may

  • Negotiate with several buyers at once, as long as you are told1.
  • Reject your offer or make a counter-offer3.
  • Ask everyone for a highest and best offer1.
  • Switch to a sealed bid, if all buyers hear this at the same time2.

The agent may not

  • Tell you what others offer, or what conditions they set2.
  • Play you off against each other, for example by using your offer to push someone else higher1.
  • Tell one buyer more than another3.

Do you doubt that those other buyers really exist?

Every offer goes into a bid log (biedlogboek)2. Once the sale is final, you can view that log for a month, without the names of other bidders6. That way you can see afterwards whether there really were other offers. If you withdraw your offer earlier, you lose that right3.

When your offer becomes binding, and what can still happen after an agreement, is explained in the rules for bidding on a house

What the agent says, and what it means

Agents often use the same phrases. Choose what you heard, and you see what it means and what you can do.

“There is a lot of interest.”

What it means
More people are looking. That says nothing yet about offers: looking is not the same as bidding.
What you do
Ask whether there are offers already and which bidding method the agent uses. Many viewers are no reason on their own to bid higher.

“We are negotiating with several parties.”

What it means
There are several offers and the agent is talking to everyone at the same time. The agent has to tell you this1.
What you do
Ask whether there will be a deadline. Have your maximum ready before you call back.

“Your offer is not enough.”

What it means
Your offer has been rejected. You will not hear how far short it is, because what others offer stays confidential2.
What you do
Decide whether you go higher. Look at sales in the neighbourhood, not at the tension of the moment. See how much to bid on a house.

“Make your highest and best offer before 12:00 on Friday.”

What it means
This is the final round. Everyone gets the same chance, and you cannot count on another counter-offer1.
What you do
Offer your real maximum, with your best conditions. An exact amount, such as €412,350, stands out among round amounts7.

“We are switching to a sealed bid.”

What it means
The home goes to a sealed bid with a closing date. All buyers hear this at the same time, together with the reason2.
What you do
Read how a sealed bid works. You then get one chance, so put everything into one offer.

Bidding advice report €24.95

What amount do you put in your final offer?

With more buyers you often get one chance. The report works out per address how likely you are to get the home at every offer amount, backed by at least five sales from the neighbourhood. After payment your report opens straight away on the website.

Example: your offerChance 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 (vraagprijs) €350,000, expected sale price €361,687. View the sample report

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How to make an offer when you are not the only buyer

You want the home, and you do not want to pay more than you need to. These five steps help you keep that balance.

  1. Know your limit before you call

    Work out what you can borrow and what you put in yourself. If you bid above the valuation (taxatiewaarde), you pay the difference yourself8. Write down your maximum. Then you will not go too far under pressure.

  2. Small steps, or your best offer straight away

    If the agent is still negotiating, you can bid in steps. If there is a final round, there is no second chance. Then offer the amount that will not make you think afterwards: I wish I had offered more.

  3. Make your conditions stronger

    For sellers, your conditions (voorbehouden) sometimes count as much as the price9. At the end of 2025, 40% of buyers made an offer without a financing condition and 55% without a building survey10. If you have no financing condition and do not get a mortgage, pulling out of the purchase usually costs 10% of the purchase price11.

  4. Put an expiry date on it

    If the seller does not respond in time, your offer lapses automatically1. That way you are not tied down if you also want to bid on another home.

  5. Do not let a bidding war rush you

    Have you heard that your offer is not enough? Take a moment. You may bid on several homes at the same time1, so this home is not your only chance.

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 (the Dutch Land Registry). By then it is no use to you.

Dion SmitsCo-founder

How to choose the amount itself, with figures per municipality, is explained in how much to bid on a house

Frequently asked questions

Questions about bidding with multiple interested buyers

Can an estate agent negotiate with several buyers at the same time?
Yes. The agent does have to tell you when negotiating with more than one buyer at the same time. That is a fixed rule. Playing buyers off against each other is not allowed1.
Can an estate agent bluff about other bidders?
No. An NVM agent treats all buyers equally and records every offer in the bid log (biedlogboek)2. Once the sale is final, the log shows you whether there really were other offers6.
Does the agent have to pass my offer on to the seller?
Yes. With an NVM agent, every offer and its conditions go into the bid log, and the seller sees it too. The agent may not know more than the seller about the offers2.
Can you bid on several houses at the same time?
Yes, you can1. You are only bound once you sign the purchase agreement (koopakte)12. Put an expiry date on your offer, so it lapses automatically if the seller does not respond in time1.
How many times can you make an offer?
As often as you like, as long as the seller is negotiating with you. You may also change or withdraw your offer1. In a final round or a sealed bid you usually get one chance.
What if two buyers offer the same amount?
Then the seller chooses, based on the terms, such as the conditions and the handover date9. An exact amount makes an equal offer less likely7.
Can the seller still take a higher offer after an agreement?
Yes, as long as the purchase agreement (koopakte) has not been signed9. What happens then is explained in the rules for bidding on a house.

About this page

Who wrote this, and where the information comes from

We were both looking for a house and got stuck at the same moment: the offer. A buying agent felt too expensive, and as if agents were arranging things among themselves. Read our story.

  • Niek

    Niek

    Data scientist (MSc) · co-founder

    Niek spent ten months on the calculation model behind every report. He calculated the overbidding figures on this page.

    More about Niek
  • Dion Smits

    Dion Smits

    Online entrepreneur and marketing specialist · co-founder

    Dion wrote the explanations on this page. He once lost a home to another bidder himself.

    More about Dion

Updated on . This page explains how bidding with multiple interested buyers works and is not legal advice.

Sources (12)
  1. Juridisch Loket, Bod op huis (in Dutch, from the Dutch legal aid desk): the agent tells you when negotiating with more than one party at the same time and does not play parties off against each other, the seller may ask for your highest and best offer, your offer lapses after the expiry date, you may bid on several homes at the same time and you may withdraw or change your offer.
  2. NVM, appendix to the Erecode (in Dutch): treat all buyers equally, share no information about offers received (part E), tell all buyers at the same time and with a reason about a switch to another bidding process (part E), and record all offers in a bid log and share it with the seller (part F).
  3. NVM, Protocol Transparant Bieden Woonruimte (in Dutch, mandatory for NVM agents since 1 February 2026): bidding without a bidding deadline with rejection, counter-proposal or acceptance, not informing bidders unequally (art. 3.1), withdrawing (art. 3.5) and the bid log (art. 4).
  4. NVM, Gemiddelde transactieprijs boven half miljoen bij meer aanbod en vlotte verkopen (in Dutch, 15 January 2026): 7.5 viewings and 2.8 offers per home in the fourth quarter of 2025, against 10.4 and 3.7 a year earlier.
  5. Overbidding: Biedadviseur.nl's own calculation, the sale price compared with the last asking price for transfers at the notary (notaris) from July 2025 to June 2026. Explained in how much to bid on a house.
  6. NVM, Biedlogboek (in Dutch): who can view the bid log, when and for how long.
  7. Funda, Succesvol bieden bij een inschrijving (in Dutch, April 2023): the tip from Vereniging Eigen Huis, the Dutch homeowners' association, to offer an exact amount.
  8. Nibud, Hypotheek afsluiten (in Dutch): maximum mortgage and buyer's costs (kosten koper).
  9. NVM, Bieden op een huis (in Dutch): conditions are sometimes as important to sellers as the price, and after a verbal agreement the seller can still accept a higher offer.
  10. Hypotheker, Rust op de huizenmarkt: minder bezichtigingen en biedingen (in Dutch, 16 January 2026, based on NVM figures): about 40% of buyers made an offer without a financing condition and 55% without a condition for a building survey.
  11. KNB, Een huis kopen. Hoe werkt dat? (in Dutch, October 2025, from the Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries): conditions, and the penalty if you pull out of the purchase after the cooling-off period.
  12. Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), article 7:2 (in Dutch): a private buyer's purchase of a home is in writing, with a three-day cooling-off period.

Which offer gives you a chance, even when other buyers are interested?

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

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