Selling a house in the Netherlands as an expat means dealing with Dutch contracts, Dutch viewings and a Dutch notary while often preparing to leave the country. We handle the full process in English so you can focus on your relocation, knowing the legal and administrative side is in order. Our team has been selling homes in Almere and Lelystad since 1988, and we are full members of the NVM, the Dutch real-estate association.
This page explains how the selling process works in the Netherlands, what we deliver during each step, and what timing and tax points expats specifically need to know when leaving the country.
How selling a house in the Netherlands works
A typical sale starts with us visiting the property to assess its condition, prepare a market valuation based on recent NVM transactions in your district, and discuss timing. We then produce the listing materials: professional photography, an interactive floorplan, a 360-degree tour and a written description in both Dutch and English. The home goes live on Funda and the NVM exchange. We schedule and lead all viewings ourselves so you do not need to be present, manage the bidding process, draft the purchase agreement and accompany you (or your power of attorney) at the notary's office for the final transfer. From listing to keys is usually six to twelve weeks for a well-priced family home in the region.
Pricing your house in Almere or Lelystad
The right asking price is the difference between a quick sale and a listing that sits for months. As an NVM-member we have direct access to the database of recent transactions in Almere and Lelystad on a street and district level. We use that data to compare your home to similar homes sold in the past three to six months, factor in current demand for your specific district and your timeline, and recommend a price strategy: a confident asking price, a tactical lower price to invite competing bids, or somewhere in between. If you also need a formal property valuation for tax or mortgage purposes, we offer validated property valuations in English as a separate service.
Presentation: photography, floorplan and a strong listing
Most Dutch buyers shortlist homes on Funda before scheduling a viewing, so the listing has to do its job before anyone walks through the door. We arrange professional interior and exterior photography, an interactive floorplan with measurements, a 360-degree photo tour for the main rooms and a video where it adds value. The property description is written in both Dutch and English so international buyers can read it without translation tools. A clean NVM-quality listing usually ranks well on Funda's relevance algorithm, which means more visibility in the first crucial week of the listing.
Reaching Dutch and international buyers
Funda is the dominant platform for Dutch property buyers with around 3.2 million unique visitors a month. We complement that with a presence on the NVM internal exchange, paid social media campaigns where it makes sense, a for-sale sign in front of the property and our own active network in Almere and Lelystad. Because all texts are bilingual, your home is also discoverable to expat buyers searching in English, which broadens the buyer pool meaningfully in this region.
Tax and timing for expats leaving the Netherlands
Selling a Dutch property when you are about to relocate abroad introduces extra timing questions. Dutch mortgage interest deduction (hypotheekrenteaftrek) ends when you deregister from the municipality, which can affect your tax position in the year of the move. Capital gains on a primary residence are not taxed in the Netherlands, but there are timing rules around buying a new property elsewhere. We are not tax advisors, but we have guided enough expat sellers through these questions to know which issues to flag and which Dutch tax advisors to involve. We coordinate the sale timing around your relocation date so the keys handover and your departure align.
Our team and what the service costs
Our office is run by an all-woman team that handles both the business and the personal side of selling a home. For the seller's service we work with a fixed-fee or low-percentage agreement, agreed in advance and discussed during your first conversation with us. There is no surprise invoice at the end. For a general overview of our expat services, see the main expat broker page. If you are also planning to buy a new home in the Netherlands, the buying a house with an expat broker page covers that side.
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Considering selling a house in Almere or Lelystad as an expat? Schedule a first conversation at our office or your home, with no cost and no obligation. Call us in Almere on +31 36 53 83 200 or in Lelystad on +31 320 33 10 72, or e-mail info@vanwestrhenen.nl.
