News

Transaction prices have fallen by an average of 10.1% last year. A slight further price drop is expected, although demand for homes in Utrecht and the surrounding area is increasing again. The price correction was a logical consequence of the increased housing costs. A new balance has now emerged. Home seekers have a little more choice because homes are on the market for a little longer. However, most homes are still sold within a few weeks, sometimes below the asking price and often still slightly above the asking price.

This makes the market seem a little more 'normal'.

As of January 1, we as an NVM broker are obliged to use a bidding log. In the overwrought housing market of recent years, society has lost confidence in the integrity of the buying process. Trust can be restored by offering more transparency and clear rules.

When buying a home, you are legally entitled to a three-day cooling-off period. But how exactly does this work with weekends?

The office has been active for over 15 years from Utrecht, Leidsche Rijn and Maarssen. The company now has 9 employees and has held a top position in the Utrecht real estate market for many years in terms of the number of transactions in which they have mediated in the sale and purchase of existing homes and appraisals for financing.

The new office at Willem Frederik Hermansstraat 698 in Utrecht offers sufficient space for staff and is located in a strategic location in Leidsche Rijn, diagonally opposite Terwijde station at the intersection of the Vleutensebaan and the Weg naar 't Zand. "A logical next step", according to owners Peter Peek and Bernard Pompe.

Starters on the market do not have to pay transfer tax. There are a number of conditions, including that the purchase price of a home may not exceed €400,000. As of January 1, 2023, this amount will increase to €440,000. In addition to the amount, age and whether this is the first time you are using this scheme are taken into account. You need a statement to be able to make use of this exemption, in which you as a buyer declare that you meet the conditions. You can download this statement from the tax authorities' website and submit it to the notary.

Are you not entitled to the exemption? In most cases you pay 2% transfer tax. If you are not going to live in the home yourself, this is 8%. This situation applies if you use the home as a holiday home, rent it out or if you buy a home for a child. You pay the transfer tax to the notary, who then arranges that it ends up in the right place.

Further questions about transfer tax? Please feel free to contact us, we will be happy to advise you.

Energy label won* Tip from PEEK&POMPE MAKELAARS [Utrecht | Maarssen | Leidsche Rijn | Vleuten | De Meern]

When selling your home, it is mandatory to provide an energy label. Make sure you have this on time, preferably at the start of the sale. Buyers are increasingly paying attention to the energy label due to rising energy costs. So the better your label, the more important to mention this in the property presentation at the start of the sale!

In the past, every homeowner received a provisional label. You could easily convert this into a definitive label until the end of 2021. If you have not done so, you will still have to do so. Since 2022, someone has to come by to record your home in order to draw up the label. We know which experts can do this for you. The label has a certain period of validity.g mandatory

It is difficult to find a home. Utrecht is doing its utmost to make (and keep) as many homes available as possible for people looking for a home. For example, by building new houses.

Some examples of projects that started in 2020:

Wonderwoods (more than 400 homes) on Jaarbeursplein
De Kwekerij in Utrecht East (244 homes)
De Nieuwe Defensieterrein in de Merwedekanaalzone (1st phase 291 homes)
The Cube in Overvecht (639 homes)
Huize Nijevelt in Vleuten de Meern (32 homes)
Wisselspoorkwartier at the 2nd Daalsedijk (1st phase 122 homes)
Plan: 60,000 additional homes by 2040
The plan is to create approximately 60,000 additional homes in the period up to 2040. That is about 3,000 per year. Construction of between 2,800 and 3,100 homes will start in 2021. The municipality expects the start of construction of between 2,600 and 3,200 homes by 2022.

Thousands of homes will be added in Utrecht in the coming years. We also want to ensure that it remains pleasant to live. That is why they also spend a lot of money on public space. The following projects will start (or have already started) in 2021:

1st phase cartesius triangle (more than 300 homes)
Smakkelaarsveld (150 homes)
Opaalweg (200 student homes)
A.B.C. street 5 (104 homes)
A number of large construction projects with many homes will start in 2022 and 2023. Such as Wisselspoor/2e daalsedijk sub-area 2-4, Cartesiusdriehoek (follow-up phases) and Merwedekanaal zone.

New rules for owner-occupied homes
For some time now we have had a 'self-occupancy obligation' for new construction in Utrecht. Anyone who buys a new-build house must live in it themselves and cannot immediately rent it out to someone else.

We now want a new rule for existing houses: 'purchase protection'. Anyone who buys a house may not rent it out for at least 4 years.

More about buyback protection
We want a ban throughout the city on renting out a house with a WOZ value of up to € 440,000 after the purchase. The purchase protection will probably apply from mid-March. The municipal council will soon decide on this new rule.

The Utrecht housing market is under pressure. Purchasing prices in the city have never been so high. Some of the few affordable houses are bought up by investors. This leads to even fewer owner-occupied homes and therefore rising house prices. Utrecht wants people who want to live in an affordable owner-occupied home to be able to find a place in Utrecht. This new rule will especially benefit starters and buyers with a middle income.

There are 3 exceptions to the purchase protection:

someone may still rent a purchased house to first- and second-degree family (parents, children, brothers and sisters)
someone may rent out a purchased house temporarily, for a maximum of 12 months, for example if the owner is going on a long trip
someone may rent out a purchased house as a business home
A permit will soon be required for such an exception.

There may be 2 more exceptions:

new construction projects in which rental agreements have been made
In cases where renting out a house is very important, the municipal council will decide
The above offers various opportunities and risks. We are happy to advise our customers.

PEEK&POMPE MAKELAARS

Buyers aged 18 to 35 do not pay a one-off transfer tax when purchasing a home. That makes purchasing a home a lot cheaper for them. From April 1, 2021, the property may not be more expensive than €400,000. Buyers aged 35 or older who live in the home pay 2%. Investors will pay 8%. With these measures, the government wants to give starters and those moving on more opportunities on the housing market.

Conditions for the starters' transfer tax exemption
The buyer must meet a number of conditions to make use of the transfer tax exemption.

The buyer is an adult (18) and younger than 35 years old.
The buyer buys a home.
The buyer has not previously received the starter's exemption for transfer tax and declares this in writing.
The buyer will live in the home himself (the so-called main residence criterion) and declares this in writing.
The home is not more expensive than €400,000 if the transfer takes place after March 31, 2021 (this home value limit does not apply until that date).
Exemption applies to transfer of home from January 1, 2021
The moment of transfer at the notary is decisive, not the moment of signing the purchase agreement. The exemption applies when the transfer of a home takes place at the notary on or after January 1, 2021. Additionally, from April 1, 2021, the exemption only applies to homes cheaper than € 400,000.

1 of buyers 35 years or older: no exemption on their own share
The exemption applies to each buyer individually. Is one of the buyers 35 years or older and the other younger than 35? Then the person aged 35 or older pays 2% tax on his/her share. The person who is younger than 35 years old does not pay tax on his/her share (if he/she also meets the other conditions).

The home does not have to be the first owner-occupied home for exemption
For the exemption, it does not matter whether the buyer has owned a home before. The home does not therefore have to be the buyer's first home for the exemption.

Buyer needs explanation for exemption
The buyer requires a written statement to make use of the transfer tax exemption. In it, the buyer declares that he meets certain conditions for the exemption. This is the condition of self-occupation and the condition that the exemption has not been used before. The buyer gives the declaration to the notary.

8% transfer tax from 2021 if the home is not your main residence
From January 1, 2021, buyers will pay 8% transfer tax if they do not live in the home themselves. For example, if they own the house:

rent out;
use as a holiday home;
buy for a child.
Anyone who wants to make use of the exemption must use the new home as their main residence. This means that the buyer registers with the municipality and also builds his life there (such as sports activities, school, place of worship, childcare, friends, family). This can only be 1 home. For this reason, second homes and holiday homes, even if they are not rented, also fall under the 8% rate. Housing cooperatives do not pay 8% transfer tax but 2% when they buy houses from housing associations.