From first viewing to accepted offer in three days: how expats Jorge and Aydan bought their home in Haarlem

Jorge (originally from Spain) and Aydan (from Singapore) had been renting in central Haarlem for years. Like many people, they occasionally browsed property listings online. No buying agent. No clear financial plan. Just looking.

Then one Saturday, they came across an apartment that immediately felt right.

By Monday morning, they were at the viewing. By Wednesday, bids had to be submitted.

What followed was a three-day sprint – with an unexpected complication that could easily have derailed the entire purchase.

“We thought the mortgage would sort itself out”

“We both have permanent contracts, so we assumed getting a mortgage wouldn’t be too difficult,” Jorge says. They had once asked Aydan’s bank for a rough indication of what they might be able to borrow, but that was the extent of their preparation.

After the viewing on Monday morning, there was no doubt: they wanted to make an offer.

“We basically ran to Mooijekind Vleut,” Aydan laughs. Their buying agent, Maarten Bos, immediately stepped in and asked the crucial question: do you know your borrowing capacity?

They didn’t.

With the bidding deadline just two days away, Maarten connected them directly with De Hypotheekshop.

A rare leasehold situation in Haarlem

That urgency turned out to be essential.

The apartment is built on leasehold land, meaning the municipality owns the ground and charges a fee for its use. In Amsterdam this is common. In Haarlem, it’s rare. In fact, their building is one of only a few in the city with this construction.

To make matters more complex, the leasehold conditions are due to be reassessed in 2028. At the time of purchase, there was no clarity about what would change. Would the annual fee increase? Would the policy be adjusted? Even the municipality could not provide clear answers.

For lenders, that uncertainty means additional risk. Many banks will not finance properties if the leasehold conditions are unclear within the next ten years. In Jorge and Aydan’s case, that deadline was less than three years away.

Fast action and direct communication

On Tuesday, Jorge and Aydan sat down with De Hypotheekshop. Before they could even consider placing a bid, they needed clarity.

Ruben from the team immediately contacted ING to explain the situation and ask whether the bank would, in principle, be willing to finance the property despite the leasehold uncertainty.

That same day, they received an indication: yes, under specific conditions, it would be possible.

“That gave us the confidence to go ahead and submit our offer on Wednesday,” Jorge says.

After their bid was accepted, other lenders were explored as well. In the end, ING turned out to be the only bank willing to finance this specific situation.

More than advice – real support

This was their first home purchase in the Netherlands. The legal system, paperwork, and terminology were all new.

“As an international, you sometimes feel like you’re asking too many questions,” Aydan says. “But we never felt like a burden.”

Both Mooijekind Vleut and De Hypotheekshop Haarlem Centrum took the time to walk them through the documents carefully, clause by clause, in clear English.

“They know each other and work well together,” Jorge explains. “We didn’t have to coordinate everything ourselves. It felt like we had a team behind us.”

Three days after their first viewing, their offer was accepted.

“In three days, we went from ‘this is a nice apartment’ to ‘this is our home’!”