Experiences
Sharing experiences is probably the best way to get to know life in Amsterdam a little better before you decide to move to Amsterdam and buy a house or apartment. That’s why we have some expats share their experiences with you!
Experience: Bicycles in Amsterdam
“When I first moved to Amsterdam, I hardly knew what I saw with all the locals getting to their work by bike. Instead of jamming the streets with cars twice a day, the Dutch jam the streets with their bicycles. It’s funny at first, but some time you’ll get to the point where you want to participate and see what all the fuss is about. I didn’t know what to think when I first got on a Dutch bike and experienced the traffic that way. In fact the Dutch have designed their streets for bicycles. There’s bicycle lanes everywhere, you’ll find traffic lights for bicycles at every crossroad, and really, it’s faster to go around by bike than by car! And of course it’s very peaceful and quiet, making the city much less noisy than other major cities I’ve been to.
“Word of advice for the first time you get on a bicycle in Amsterdam... Watch the tram rails. The streets are very bicycle friendly, but you still have to watch out for not getting your tires stuck in the tram rails. And besides, when you lock your bike, make sure to always chain securely it to a fixed object like a bridge or the post of a street light. My first bike was stolen within two weeks because I didn’t have it chained down...”
- Jessica Woodburn (Waco, TX)
Experience: Investing in Amsterdam property
"I've always loved Amsterdam. I remember the first time when I came to visit Amsterdam, it totally blew my mind. As I have my own company in London and I also do a lot of business in Amsterdam, buying some property in Amsterdam has always been one of my dreams. Through this site I got connected to a lovely real estate broker with know-how of the Amsterdam market. She told me what neighbourhoods in Amsterdam are interesting to invest in. Thank God I found that real estate woman, because the city council of Amsterdam can be an enormous pain in the 'back'. She guided me through all the rules and regulations; I sometimes even called her in the weekend and she was always helpful and kind. In the bidding process she was a hard player, because of her the owner even dropped the price far more than I was expecting. I am now the proud owner of some canal houses in Amsterdam which are making me money. Thanks Buy Apartment Amsterdam!"
- G. Clark
Experience: Buying a Newly Built House?
“When I decided to buy a house in Amsterdam, I didn’t know about all the troublesome questions I was getting myself into. I’m glad I did it after all, but maybe if I had known about all the difficulties, I wouldn’t have made the effort of buying a house. I had never been a home owner before, and there are so many things you wouldn’t think of. At first I was going to arrange everything by myself – look on the internet for some houses, and get to a financial office to get my mortgage arranged. I’m so glad I came across this website and gave the real estate broker they hooked me up with a shot. All these questions I stumbled across, they could help me find the right answers and get everything worked out. Like the question of whether to buy new property, or buy an already built house. The question is so complex because at the one side, you have to pay a tax commission when you buy an already built house. Trouble with new houses is that they require a lot of extra work, and they’re usually very basic in their design – i.e. they always supply you with the most basic kitchen an restroom. You can have those basics expanded and arrange the financing for this along with the mortgage, but the problem is that some of those extra arrangements may not be tax deductible. It’s really a complex calculation you’re making here. But there’s more that makes answering the question of what to buy more difficult. Like the interest you have to pay over the parcel of the newly built house, and the differing notary fees.
“Everything I came across just thinking of what kind of property to buy is so complex, I’m so glad I followed the advice of this website and got me a broker to take me by the hand and help me get my questions answered.”
- W.M. Mitchell (Trenton, NJ)
Experience: House Hunting!
“When I first got in touch with my real estate broker through this website, the first thing she told me was to just go with her and see what Amsterdam is about. And she was right! There’s no need to be thinking about all the difficulties from the jump, because you’ll first want to know what you’re actually talking about when you’re thinking of buying a house in Amsterdam. So she took me through the canals of the center for a little sight seeing, and I guess she has a great sense of people, because she just knew where to take me... The Jordaan, where she showed me a some of the cutest little houses by the canal – I could picture myself living there right away. When I told her that, she helped me visualize my life in Amsterdam in that neighborhood: waking up in the morning, getting fresh bread at the bakery around the corner. So that’s what we did: we walked into the bakery for a little chat with the baker. Then we went for a cup of coffee in a small coffee house at the corner of the street, talked a little about the way the people in this neighborhood lived, and then we decided to see how the Dutch do their grocery shopping. There’s plenty of supermarkets and small grocery stores just around the corner, so she let me get a taste of what it would be like to live there and do my grocery shopping as if I were actually living in Amsterdam already. It was the greatest fun experience and it really helped me get a touch of what my life in Amsterdam was going to be like! I really have to thank my real estate broker for that, she is the most gorgeous person and she really helped me a great deal getting everything about my life in Amsterdam worked out!”
- Mrs. Reppert
