Buying property in the Netherlands is a pretty straightforward process, and is usually trouble free as long as things are pursued in a controlled fashion. As with any property transaction, when you are looking for a property for sale in Netherlands, a local trusted lawyer should be employed to help with all dealings, and make sure any potential pitfalls are avoided before they are encountered.

Once you have your short list of properties for sale in the Netherlands and a specific property has been decided upon and all necessary legal checks have been carried out, a pre-sale contract is drawn up and signed by both the buyer and seller - it isn't always the case, but usually a deposit of around ten percent is also paid at this point. Once the contract is signed, a three day cooling off period comes into effect - if either party changes their mind for any reason, they can pull out of the sale with no penalty, but after the three day period the party pulling out must compensate the other group. After the pre-contract has been sorted, legal checks and the like should be carried out by the lawyer, making sure there is nothing to get in the way of the transaction - once everything is sorted, a transfer contract is signed and the property is registered with the buyer at the local land registry. At this point the fee is paid in full and any outstanding taxes or charges are paid.

Taxes and fees usually amount to around 7-10 percent of the total cost of the property, depending on size, location and the like.