Purchase route Belgium
Buying process
When you have found the house you want to buy then the whole process of buying in Belgium starts. Below are the different steps of the process
Once the house is found then the first step is to agree on the price. Keep in mind that there are quite a few cowboy-type types operating as real estate agents who are very adept at pressuring a prospective buyer to just agree to a purchase price and sign a sales compromise (purchase agreement) as quickly as possible.
Start the application process well in advance. You may already be able to cut corners by submitting the application as soon as possible. See “APPLICATION PROCESS.
In doubt about the structural condition of the house? Then have a building inspection performed. Contact Mortgage & Abroad for advice on this.
The buyer and seller jointly choose a notary.
A Belgian notary is similar from the role of the Dutch notary. A Belgian notary is impartial and has the role of verifying a multitude of elements and ultimately – on the one hand – executing (passing) the deeds and, on the other hand, overseeing the flow of money from the buyer to the seller, and collecting the necessary taxes and registration fees, on behalf of the Belgian government.
We can assist you in arranging a notarized power of attorney to complete the purchase from the Netherlands. We have contacts with a Dutch notary where the process of making the power of attorney can be arranged “remotely” (via zoom/teams).
The initiation of a compromise (purchase agreement) is usually done by the Belgian broker, but sometimes it is the notary who makes a draft compromise.
Including a condition precedent for financing in the compromise (purchase agreement) is very common in Belgium.
The outcome of the mortgage application process is the receipt of the unconditional loan offer. After accepting the loan offer, the bank is ready to release the mortgage funds.
When the sale is imminent, your home should be insured for fire (and theft). Hypotheek & Buitenland has contacts with parties who can provide competitive quotations for this purpose.
Having a Belgian bank account is useful when you own a home in Belgium. Part of the mortgage application process often includes opening a Belgian bank account. For this, an appointment is made with the mortgage lending bank to open a bank account locally.
The transfer of the property is ratified by a Belgian notary. The notary takes care of registering the buyers as the new owners of the house on the one hand, and arranges for payment of the purchase price on the other.
How long the buying process takes depends on what delaying elements are involved. Some trajectories take 3 weeks some as long as 6 months. A common deadline is generally 6 weeks.
