Buy a house in the Netherlands: Real Estate Minion prepares expats for 2027 tax changes
Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands – October 21, 2026 – To buy a house in the Netherlands ahead of two Dutch tax changes planned for 1 January 2027, expats should recheck their budgets before they bid, advises Real Estate Minion, the buyer guidance project of Eindhoven real estate agent and property valuer Dirk-Jan Bonenkamp. Its English guide library at BuyaHouseintheNetherlands.com holds more than 50 guides, checklists and worksheets and ten video guides, from the first budget check to the notary transfer and the keys.
Dirk-Jan Bonenkamp is registered with the Nederlands Register Vastgoed Taxateurs (NRVT), the Dutch register of real estate appraisers, and has worked as a taxateur, the Dutch term for a property valuer, since December 2022. Since January 2025 he has also been listed as a real estate agent in the MMCEPI register, the European quality label of the European Association of Real Estate Professions (CEPI), which attests to compliance with standards on ethics and professional qualifications.
From the first budget check to the notary transfer
The guides follow the order in which a purchase usually happens in the Netherlands: preparing a budget and mortgage documents, booking viewings, making an offer, signing the purchase agreement, arranging the valuation and mortgage, and completing the transfer at the notary. Separate pages explain the statutory three-day cooling-off period for private buyers, the role of the notary and the Kadaster (the Dutch land registry), and the documents lenders usually ask for.
Other guides cover situations that are common among international buyers: buying as a highly skilled migrant, as a non-EU buyer or as a non-resident, buying alone, and buying near international schools. City guides cover Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.
Dutch property terms are explained where they first appear, including:
- kosten koper: the buyer’s costs on top of the purchase price, such as transfer tax, notary and valuation fees
- overdrachtsbelasting: the one-off transfer tax paid when a property changes owner
- erfpacht: a ground lease, where the buyer owns the home but pays for the use of the land
“The questions I hear most from expats are practical: what happens next, what it will cost and which deadline they cannot miss,” said Dirk-Jan Bonenkamp. “The guides are written so that buyers understand the whole process before their first viewing.”
2026 buyer costs and the changes planned for 2027
The guide to the costs of buying a house in the Netherlands separates the purchase price from buyer costs and post-transfer ownership costs. According to the Belastingdienst (the Dutch Tax Administration), transfer tax in 2026 is 2 percent for a home the buyer will live in. Buyers under 35 can use the starter exemption on a home worth up to €555,000, and homes the buyer will not live in, such as a rental property or a second home, are taxed at 8 percent, down from 10.4 percent in 2025.
Two changes planned for 1 January 2027 are relevant to international buyers. The tax-free allowance under the 30% ruling for expat employees falls from 30 percent to 27 percent for rulings that started after 1 January 2024, according to the Dutch government’s business portal. The cabinet has also proposed lowering transfer tax on homes the buyer will not live in from 8 percent to 7 percent, as part of the 2027 Tax Plan that the Dutch parliament is scheduled to vote on in November and December 2026.
“A lower net salary or a different transfer tax rate changes what a buyer can afford,” Dirk-Jan Bonenkamp said. “Buyers who expect to bid around the turn of the year should check their numbers with a mortgage adviser before they make an offer.”
Ten video guides and a stage-by-stage checklist
Real Estate Minion has multiple video guides on the Buy a House in the Netherlands YouTube channel, covering expat mortgages, buyer costs, offers, legal documents, erfpacht, location research and property investment. A downloadable Netherlands home buying checklist is organised by six stages, from before the search starts to the first days after the keys are handed over.
For homeowners on the other side of the transaction, Real Estate Minion also runs a seller guide at SellaHouseintheNetherlands.com.
About Real Estate Minion
Real Estate Minion is an English-language guidance project for expats and international buyers who want to buy a house in the Netherlands. Founded in 2026 by MMCEPI-registered real estate agent and NRVT-registered taxateur Dirk-Jan Bonenkamp, it offers guides, checklists and videos on the Dutch buying process, from budget and viewings to offers, valuation, the notary transfer and the keys. Its mission is to help English-speaking buyers understand the Dutch home-buying process before they make expensive decisions. Buyers can download the home buying checklist or request a buyer consultation through BuyaHouseintheNetherlands.com.
Media Contact
Company Name: Real Estate Minion
Contact Person: Dirk-Jan Bonenkamp
Email: Send Email
Phone: +31 6 22660328
City: Eindhoven
State: Noord-Brabant
Country: Netherlands
Website: https://buyahouseinthenetherlands.com/
