Why buyers from the Netherlands cross the border
Anyone searching Brabant or the Randstad for a detached villa with a large garden and a pool soon discovers how scarce that kind of property is. Half an hour further south, in the Noorderkempen north of Antwerp, the picture is different. The plots are larger, the neighbourhoods greener and the price per square metre lower. Estate agents in the border region have seen for years that a large share of their buyers come from the Netherlands, especially from the Breda, Rotterdam, The Hague and Eindhoven areas.
The reasons are always the same. More house and more land for the same budget. A calmer, more stable market. The same language, but a different way of life, with more time for the table, the garden and privacy. And a location from which work, family and friends in the Netherlands remain within easy reach. The same applies to international buyers already living in the Netherlands, who are used to commuting and want more room to live.
Villa Grandeur as an example
Villa Grandeur at Dennenlaan 58 in Brecht shows what is possible: 412 m² of living space on 1,529 m² of land, five bedrooms, a 31 m² office, a Finnish sauna and a heated 11 by 5 metre pool. The asking price is €1,095,000. The villa is in Sint-Job-in-'t-Goor, a district of Brecht, a few minutes from the slip road onto the E19. That motorway runs in a straight line to Breda, where it joins the A16 to Rotterdam and the A58 to Tilburg and Roosendaal.
Travel times from Dennenlaan 58
How far is it really? The main destinations are listed below. Each region has its own page with all the towns and what the move means for work, school and daily life.
| From Dennenlaan 58 to | Distance | By car |
|---|---|---|
| Breda | approx. 45 km | approx. 25 min |
| Ulvenhout | approx. 42 km | approx. 25 min |
| Zundert | approx. 28 km | approx. 20 min |
| Etten-Leur | approx. 52 km | approx. 35 min |
| Roosendaal | approx. 48 km | approx. 40 min |
| Bergen op Zoom | approx. 45 km | approx. 40 min |
| Oosterhout | approx. 57 km | approx. 35 min |
| Tilburg | approx. 70 km | approx. 45 min |
| Dordrecht | approx. 70 km | approx. 40 min |
| Rotterdam | approx. 90 km | approx. 45 min |
| The Hague | approx. 115 km | approx. 65 min |
| Antwerp | approx. 20 km | approx. 15 min |
The train is an option too. From Noorderkempen station in Brecht you travel directly to Breda and Rotterdam, and in the other direction to Antwerp and Brussels.
Choose your region
- Breda region: Breda, Ulvenhout, Bavel, Teteringen, Prinsenbeek, Princenhage, Ginneken and Effen.
- Zundert and the border villages: Zundert, Rijsbergen, Galder, Strijbeek, Chaam, Baarle-Nassau, Meersel-Dreef and Hoogstraten.
- West Brabant: Etten-Leur, Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom, Oudenbosch and Rucphen.
- Central Brabant: Tilburg, Goirle, Oisterwijk, Oosterhout and Dongen.
- Randstad: Rotterdam, Dordrecht, Barendrecht, The Hague and Wassenaar.
What changes when you move to Belgium
Less than many people think, but there are a few things you want to know in advance. You buy through a Belgian notary and pay registration duties instead of Dutch transfer tax. You register with the municipality of Brecht. If you keep working in the Netherlands, your salary is generally still taxed there and you remain insured there for healthcare. Children can go to school in Belgium or in the Netherlands. The guide Buying in Belgium explains it step by step, with a worked example based on the asking price of this villa.
The agents of De Boer & Partners regularly assist buyers from the Netherlands. Andres van Elten answers your questions about the villa and about buying in Belgium.
