Making a winning bid on a house or apartment in the Netherlands is a challenge. In a market rife with low supply, high demand, and overbidding, everyone wants to make a bid that stands out.
Here’s the key: that doesn’t always mean offering way more money.
Nope, there’s another way to get your bid to the top of the pile, and it’s easier than you think.
Why you should remove the finance clause from your bid
From November 2023, I spent five months searching for my apartment. I quickly noticed a pattern: see dozens of houses, get attached to one, make a bid — and have it rejected. It was heartbreaking and exhausting.
In most Dutch cities, sellers of homes are in a great position: they’ll have plenty of viewers and plenty of bids. When they make their choice of who to sell to, it’s normally based on two main factors:
- Price (how much the highest bid is)
- Conditions and contingencies (what conditions the seller has to buy the property).
Price speaks for itself — the seller generally wants to earn as much money as possible.
But the second factor is also important. The conditions typically cover:
- Whether a buyer’s bid is subject to having their mortgage approved by the bank,
- if they want a building or technical inspection,
- or if the purchase is contingent on selling their existing property first.
These conditions are important for buyers, but they also take time, and risk a deal going south. It’s understandable that, in a tough market, sellers prefer buyers who don’t have these conditions.
So here’s the key: remove the finance clause from your bid — the safe way.
How sellers think
Jeroen is selling his two-bedroom house in Utrecht. His two highest offers are €460,000 and €455,000.
At first glance, it’s an easy choice. More money, less problems, right? Well, not in this case. The first offer is the highest, but it’s subject to finance.
That means that Jeroen will have to hope the finance is approved by the bank. If it’s not, and the deal collapses, he has to start the selling process all over again. Remember, the Dutch housing market moves fast.
So Jeroen turns to the second offer. It’s €5,000 less, but it’s not subject to finance. No finance clause means that the seller has essentially said, “I’m so confident that I’ll get a mortgage, I’ll pay you 10% of my bid if it doesn’t go ahead”.
That sounds pretty good to Jeroen. If the mortgage isn’t approved, he’ll still get a whopping €45,500 in his bank account, without even selling the house. So, he picks that seller.
Now, I’m sure you’re thinking: “Are you crazy? What if my mortgage isn’t approved and I have to pay 10% of my offer?!”
That’s where doing it “the safe way” comes in. Introducing: The Secured Bidding Plan.
No finance clause — no problem
The Secured Bidding Plan is a special product by a select few companies, including Expat Mortgages in conjunction with Nationale Waarborg.
Essentially, the plan allows first-home buyers to bid on properties without a finance clause — making your bid ultra-strong, but with zero risk.
“We have seen that with the Secured Bidding Plan, the chances of making a deal on a property increased by 60% on average for our clients,” explains Richardo Cruz Fortes, a mortgage expert at Expat Mortgages.
“This is because the Secured Bidding Plan is still exclusive in the market and not available everywhere.”
Sounds too good to be true? Here’s how it works.
When you decide to use the Secured Bidding Plan, Expat Mortgages will take a close look at all of your documents. They’ll don their mortgage lender hat, and act as if they’re in charge of whether you get a mortgage or not.
They’ll also complete either a remote property valuation or obtain an official valuation to make sure that you can afford the property you’re bidding on.
If they’re confident, together with Nationale Waarborg, they’ll give you a Bank Guarantee Secure Certificate — essentially, a tick of approval that they’re so confident you’ll get a mortgage that they’ll cover the 10% if you can’t.
If, at the end of the day, the mortgage isn’t approved, you’re on the hook for nothing, nada, niks. The Secured Bidding Plan insures the 10% deposit and will be paid in full to the seller, up to €75,000 (for a €750,000 bid).
You’ll be able to make your bid more attractive, and the seller has an extra incentive to choose you. It’s a win win!
How to get a Bank Guarantee Secure Certificate
The Secured Bidding Plan isn’t available everywhere. To take advantage of it, you need to get in touch with Expat Mortgages.
The team at Expat Mortgages are experts who specialise in helping expats and internationals buy homes in the Netherlands.
I personally bought my house through Expat Mortgages last April and can genuinely recommend them.
You can book a no-obligation chat with a mortgage specialist. If you end up organising your mortgage through Expat Mortgages, it’s easy to make use of the Secured Bidding Plan.
Other ways to make your house bid in the Netherlands more competitive
Got your heart set on a house and want to do everything you can? You can also consider:
- Removing the building inspection clause (if you have a buying agent they can advise if this is a good idea).
- Writing a personal letter to the sellers explaining who you are, why you love their house, and what future you can see for yourself there.
- Being flexible on conditions like the move-in date or items left behind.
Bidding on a house in the Netherlands isn’t always easy — but having a Bank Guarantee Secure Certificate in your back pocket will give you an advantage. Find out more.