Search Q&A
Buying a flat in Brussels
Hi,
I'd like to kindly ask fellow X-pats for your experiences when buying a flat in Brussels, for example the following (but please speak freely, I really want to know about how you did it):
- which agency is the best
- who did the legal work for you, and can you recommend someone
- how long did you need to look, how vivid is the market
- are there any legal tricks to be extra careful about
- which bank gives best mortgages
...
Thanks very much for you answers, they'll all be much appreciated!
Kind greets,
d.
1) As a buyer, don't botherr with agencies, just check the property listings on immoweb.be on a DAILY basis according to the criteria you have (budget, postcode, etc)
2) any notaire will do as they all charge the same. Just find someone near where you live or work.
3) i looked for 18 months to find something in my budget. The market moves incredibly quickly in the decent parts of Brussels. We had to sign the compromis on the night we looked at our flat to have a hope of securing it!
4) not really. You'll need to pay a 10% deposit when you sign the compromis de vente (within 10 days of your offer being accepted), don't go over the asking price, don't be pushed into signing anything you're not happy with.
5) depends on your circumstances (amount you want to borrow, how much you earn, how much ou have as a deposit). You can usually play the banks off against each other to get them to go a bit lower. But as a general rule, the higher the % of the value of the property you want to borrow, the high your rate will be. If you can borrow under 80% of the value you'll get better rates. Banks won't lend more than 100% these days, so make sure you have the money for the fees and taxes (approx 12-15% on top of purchase price).
