More than half of the viewers of the homes I have for sale come from Amsterdam. Why might that be? As a Utrecht estate agent, I'm happy to explain why…
Contents
- 1. With most homes, the plot is freehold or the ground lease has been bought off in perpetuity
- 2. Utrecht is centrally located
- 3. More single-family homes
- 4. Nature around you, just a few minutes' cycle away
- 5. Canals
- Conclusion
1. With most homes, the plot is freehold or the ground lease has been bought off in perpetuity
In Utrecht, many homes are on freehold land. If the home is subject to ground lease (erfpacht), look carefully at what type of ground lease it is. Leases under the 1989 general ground lease conditions have been bought off in perpetuity. If you have a whole house, you can easily have this converted to freehold. That's handy, and it also makes your home easier to finance.
2. Utrecht is centrally located
Utrecht lies in the middle of the country and is therefore easy to reach. By train you can get from Utrecht Centraal to Amsterdam Amstel in 19 minutes. You're in Arnhem in 36 minutes and in Den Bosch in 29 minutes. In addition, Utrecht has 5 stations: Utrecht Centraal, Utrecht Overvecht, Utrecht Zuilen, Utrecht Lunetten & Utrecht Vaartsche Rijn. Train frequency is increasing. So you reach your destination quickly. What I often notice when we meet up with friends in Amsterdam is that, coming from Utrecht by train, you get to your destination faster than the people in Amsterdam do by bike. Do you still want to go out in Amsterdam until the early hours and then sleep in your own bed without having to watch the train times? For about €60 an Uber gets you to Utrecht. Almost 8% of all home buyers in Utrecht come from Amsterdam.
Source: Midas NVM
3. More single-family homes
If you can live in a whole house with a garden in Amsterdam, you've really got it made. Generally speaking, in Amsterdam you live in a flat. A house inside the ring road is reserved for the truly rich and famous. In Utrecht there are many more houses. In Amsterdam only 12% of homes are single-family homes; by comparison, in Utrecht 44% of the housing stock consists of single-family homes. In Utrecht 45% of all homes are owner-occupied; in Amsterdam it's 30%. So in Utrecht it's easier to get hold of a single-family home than in Amsterdam. Because we have more single-family homes in Utrecht, it's also less densely populated. In Amsterdam 5,160 people live per square kilometre; in Utrecht it's only 3,702.
Source: Midas NVM
Source Midas NVM
4. Nature around you, just a few minutes' cycle away
Utrecht is so compact that you can cycle everywhere without first having to cycle for an hour. Rhijnauwen, Amelisweerd, Krommerijn, de Vecht, Voorveldsepolder, Landgoed Oostbroek, Maximapark, Strijkviertel & lots of other beautiful parks. In Utrecht you're always a short distance from nature. The Utrechtse Heuvelrug is also close by. Wonderful rambling through the woods or walking along the water. Watching the boats in Maarssen.
5. Canals
Utrecht has wharf cellars, which means that in Utrecht you sit right by the water of the canal. This is exactly why the canals in Utrecht are so popular. There aren't hundreds of tourists and boat companies sailing through them. You can even go canoeing in the canals. Utrecht is a great experience from a canoe or a small boat. Canal Pride is a real party, and we'll soon be able to sail around again too.
Conclusion
In Utrecht you can live more quietly and more spaciously than in Amsterdam. The price per square metre is lower than in Amsterdam, it's more central and from Utrecht you can get around the whole country more easily. Utrecht is developing fast. We're getting more and more good places to eat and drink & the level of amenities is rising. Do you want to live in Utrecht, but still be in Amsterdam in no time? Then the west side in particular is for you. Still attached to Amsterdam? We also have homes coming up on the Amsterdamsestraatweg and in its side streets.
