It's no news to anyone that things are tough for first-time buyers in the housing market. But what's also funny is that first-time buyers actually all want the same thing: ideally, a home they don't have to do anything to. So how do you, as a first-time buyer, stand a chance in the housing market?
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Broaden your horizons
As an estate agent, I often hear that investors snap everything up from under your nose. But is that always the case? The flats that have just come out of regulated, points-based rent (puntenhuur) at a price of about 18 to 20 times the annual rent? Then yes, you're right. But slightly bigger flats are much less interesting to investors. So look at the slightly bigger flats. Flats larger than 80 m2 in Zuilen, for example, are often just a bit less interesting for investors. In addition, from next year investors will pay 8% transfer tax, while as a first-time buyer you can count on an advantage on a flat under €400,000: an exemption from transfer tax.
Be creative
Doesn't a home have the layout you want, a kitchen that isn't to your taste and perhaps a floor that isn't to your taste either? Think about what you could do and use it to your advantage. In most cases you can simply include the cost of such a renovation in your mortgage. Look at the potential. Do you want to live in a small, cute little house, or would you rather have a bit more of a view, bigger rooms and greenery around you in times like these?
Zwanenvechtlaan 13 in Utrecht
Visuals of Zwanenvechtlaan 13 in Utrecht
Can you see the visuals below? Aren't they amazing? This is what this flat could become. And a view like that, doesn't that make you really happy?
Don't get fixated on your wish list
Look at your wish list. But don't limit it to ‘I'm looking for a 1930s neighbourhood in Utrecht Oost’. What does your life look like? My father used to have what I thought was a rather strange way of questioning me to find out what I really thought was important. For my choice of studies, for example, I had to describe what my dream life would look like later on. Whether I wanted to have lunch out, cycle to the office, do practical work, travel, manage people, and how flexible my work needed to be. I thought they were pretty odd questions. But in the end I did come to the conclusion that I value freedom very highly.
When I started looking for a house, I put everything in an Excel file again. Which expenses are fixed costs and which are recurring costs? Do I want to keep going out for nice dinners? What are my life plans and what is really important in a house? In my first little house, the location and an open-plan kitchen were important. Unfortunately my budget wasn't unlimited, but very limited. In the end I ended up with a fixer-upper. The house we have now was another enormous fixer-upper. We discovered that a guest room, a big bathroom, a walk-in wardrobe and a workspace are important. But above all, a big kitchen and French doors to the garden were important to us. With these, we created a house that suddenly did meet all our wishes. Those visuals you see: I always see them straight away when I walk into a home.
Hyacintstraat 21 in Utrecht
Visuals of Hyacintstraat 21 in Utrecht
See the potential
Look at homes through a different lens. A home that isn't straight out of VT Wonen can still become something very special. Would you like some tips and inspiration? We'd be happy to help.
