If you engage a real estate agent, you can expect:
"}},{"componentType":"accordion","accordionList":[{"title":"1. Experience","richBody":{"value":"Buying a home is something you might only do once or twice in your life, but for your real estate agent it’s a job they have to be successful in on a daily basis.
"}},{"title":"2. Speed","richBody":{"value":"When you’re in competition with others during your house hunt, you can’t afford to lose valuable time. Your agent knows exactly what you’re looking for, and is the first to know about suitable properties. This often gives you an immediate advantage.
"}},{"title":"3. Objectivity","richBody":{"value":"While you might be in love with the location, bright rooms and beautiful garden, your agent will look at the bigger picture. For many people, a house must have ‘good energy’. Your agent has a more objective business-like attitude, which can be an advantage during negotiations.
"}},{"title":"4. Expertise","richBody":{"value":"Negotiating for a souvenir on holiday is different from negotiating for a property costing hundreds of thousands of euros. What’s a good opening offer? What’s the property really worth? An agent has a better feel for this. Many people are more confident with an expert by their side. After all, you want to get the house, but you don’t want to offer too much.
"}},{"title":"5. Save time","richBody":{"value":"Without an agent, you have to search and arrange all kinds of things yourself. This includes a structural survey and research into the zoning plan, environmental aspects, the data in the land registry and from the owners' association, municipal and provincial regulations, the presence of an energy label, and so on.
"}}]},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Why you shouldn’t engage a real estate agent"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"If you're not convinced by these five reasons for engaging a real estate agent, you might be a very strong negotiator, or you might find the research and searching too much fun to leave to someone else! If that’s the case, you’ll save on the fee charged by a real estate agent and could put this cash into the property, for example.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Tip: How to choose an expert real estate agent"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"Many house hunters choose an agent who is affiliated with a trade association. This is a kind of quality mark. There are three of these associations: VBO makelaars, VastgoedPro and the Nederlandse Vereniging van Makelaars (NVM). The NVM is the largest, with more than 4,000 members.
"}},{"componentType":"sectionTitle","title":"Tip: Save money with the largest digital NVM broker"},{"componentType":"paragraph","richBody":{"value":"You may have seen Makelaarsland before, perhaps on Funda or in a news item when expert commentary is provided. We collaborate with them because they are located throughout the Netherlands, offer competitive fixed fees, and can reduce your costs by determining in advance what to do and what to avoid during the buying process.
"},"textLinks":[{"url":"/particulier/hypotheek/makelaarsland","text":"All about Makelaarsland (in Dutch)"}]}]},"legalZone":{"flexComponents":[{"componentType":"paragraph","title":"Good to know","richBody":{"value":"The English text of the website is a translation of the Dutch original version. This translation is intended for the customers convenience only. In case of any discrepancies between the two versions, the original Dutch version shall prevail. The mortgage offer and contract will be signed in Dutch. Also, all further communication after signing the mortgage contract will be in Dutch. You acknowledge and accept this. If any assistance or clarification is needed, we recommend contacting your mortgage advisor or to call our customer service via the ING app.
"}}]}}}