Expats find a home much faster than Dutch buyers
Marnix Hazelhoff
21 March 2026
Reading time 3 minutes
Foreign buyers find a home in the Netherlands significantly faster than Dutch buyers. On average, expats need just five months to secure a property, compared to seven months for their Dutch counterparts. This is one of the findings from the Expatbarometer by Viisi Hypotheken, our partner in mortgage advice. For this report, 927 expats and 1,923 Dutch buyers who recently purchased a home in the Netherlands were surveyed.
Bidding behaviour
Expats bid above the asking price more often: 77% of them did so, compared to 70% of Dutch buyers. However, the average overbidding percentage among expats, at 7.6%, is considerably lower than among Dutch buyers, who overbid by an average of 9.3%. Expats place bids on an average of three properties, while Dutch buyers do so on 2.3.
Guidance and financial risk
Over 61% of expats enlisted the help of a buying agent during the purchasing process, compared to just 47% of Dutch buyers. This is not surprising: many expats are unfamiliar with the Dutch language and customs, and a buying agent helps them navigate the negotiation phase, communication with the selling party, and the required documentation. Yet this does not translate into greater confidence — more than one in six expats reports feeling a serious financial risk with their purchase, compared to 14% of Dutch buyers.
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Long-term plans
The idea that expats buy a home only to leave again shortly after is not supported by the research. A third expects to stay for at least ten years, another 40% anticipates moving somewhere between six and ten years from now, and 52% wants to remain in the Netherlands for more than twenty years. This long-term outlook is also reflected in their plans for the property: 46% of expats is considering renovating at some point, compared to 52% of Dutch buyers. When it comes to making homes more sustainable, the picture is nearly identical for both groups: a third wants to take action immediately, a third does not, and a third is still undecided.
Conclusion
Expats are decisive but not reckless. They bid on more properties than Dutch buyers and more often enlist professional help, yet they overbid by less on average. The notion that foreign buyers are driving up the market by blindly overbidding is not supported by this research from Viisi Hypotheken.
