Step 1: viewing
You make an appointment with the agent. For Villa Grandeur that is Andres van Elten of De Boer & Partners. Feel free to bring a surveyor to a second viewing; a structural survey is less common in Belgium than in the Netherlands, but always allowed. Ask for the certificates: EPC, soil certificate, planning information, electrical inspection and the flood scores.
Step 2: a written offer
In Belgium you make an offer in writing, with a period of validity. If the seller accepts the offer, there is a sale. There is no cooling-off period. So include the conditions that matter to you, in particular a condition precedent for obtaining a loan, with amount and deadline. You can also propose the sale of your current home as a condition, although the seller does not have to accept it.
Step 3: the compromis
After the accepted offer, the notary or the agent draws up the compromis, the private sale agreement. It records the parties, the property, the price, the conditions and the date of the deed. On signing you pay a deposit, usually around 10% of the purchase price, into the third-party account of the notary or the agent. Have the compromis checked by your own notary beforehand.
Step 4: the loan
With the signed compromis you make the final loan application. The deadline in your condition precedent is running, so start straight away. Read more about borrowing in Belgium from the Netherlands.
Step 5: searches by the notary
Meanwhile the notary carries out the statutory searches: mortgage status, tax and social-security debts of the seller, planning, soil. That is why there are a few months between compromis and deed. The legal maximum is four months.
Step 6: the notarial deed
On the day of the deed you pay the balance of the purchase price, the registration duties and the notary costs. You sign the deed and, if you borrow, the mortgage deed as well. Then you receive the keys. You do not necessarily have to be there in person: you can also sign by power of attorney, or remotely through a notary who offers video conferencing.
Timeline
| Moment | Period |
|---|---|
| Accepted offer to compromis | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Compromis to deed | 4 months at most |
| Moving your main residence (for the reduced sale duty) | within the statutory period after the deed |
After the purchase
You register with the municipality of Brecht, after which the local police officer calls round to confirm your residence. You deregister in the Netherlands, arrange water, energy and internet, and put your car on Belgian plates. From then on you officially live in Belgium.
Reference date: September 2026. This is general information, not personal advice. Rates and conditions change; have your situation checked by your notary or adviser.
