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Buying a house in Brussels
Hi everyone,
What are some very posh areas in Brussels to buy a house in? Which areas are considered most exclusive? I prefer that they are well connected and still within the city as I don't know how to drive. Any ideas? Prices no bar.
Also, what do you guys think about having a pool in the house? I have never previously had a house with a pool but I think it is a nice touch. My husband says cleaning the pool might be a hassle. Do you guys have any inputs there?
Additionally, do you guys suggest buying a newly refurbished house or buying a skeletal house and pimping it up yourself? I have been looking at houses starting at a million Euros but they are so shabby, just large but nothing classy or elegant about them. Should I trust a real estate agency to find me the house of my dreams? Or is it wiser to find the house myself?
What are some other things I should be aware of when buying a house?
I don't know if this is a wind up but if not you don't need to be in the inner city to get good transport some other communes also have tram metro etc its said many bankers like iit in say Kraaineem area and some of the royal family are in Tervuren where you get more house and less Traffic. However houses vary greatly and so does the quality of the building work
Be aware that getting a.'buyers Survey' in the sense you'd get it elsewhere say the uk is very hard they don't really exist here and it's buyer beware and once it's yours, you cant go to court whining it had problems you didn't know like half the house has no
Planning permit and you paid over the real value your expect to have found that out before
Buying.
Also know that renovation cost are very high both materials and labour taxes are high and finding a good architect to run this is very hard indeed. one million is nothing for a property in many areas. Purchase tax is payable up front and is huge and based on the value of the property, if you try and pay less legally and pay extra illegally to vendor then you risk a fine if you get caught. Once you sign the sale agreement its binding you're obligated to buy or forfeit your deposits to the vendor. When you sell it on any profit is taxable.
If you really don't know about the which communes are best I would
Suggest you do your home work or come to live in some of them and not ask a group of strangers.
Find yourself a notaire/notaris to explain the process to you NOW before you do anything else. It isn't signing the sale agreement (compromise de vente) that makes you liable to buy, it is the making of an offer (even verbally although in practice any agent will make you sign a piece of paper) which is then accepted, and which then binds both sides to go through with the sale. It is possible to put conditions on the offer (the most common concerning the ability to get a mortgage) but those conditions need to be worded correctly - the notaire will advise on this.
Note that you cannot buy without the assistance of a notaire and that, no matter how much work is done or advice given, the fees are fixed by law.
There are amazing houses to be bought and renovated in Ixelles, St. Gilles and Uccle. As for building this is another option, you can have the absolute finest, personalised home for less than what you think! Plus with the added bonus of making it completely ECO (and no, it doesn't have to be made of some ugly weird materials OR cardboard, etc.)
I would consider contacting Alex, my architect- check out www.alexandrupatrichi.eu
If you find something fantastic and just want to customise it- renovate or do a total re-do he can make a great price and provide a SKILLED team that you wouldn't have to worry about!
Uccle, Boitsfort, Auderghem.
I suggest you find out about buying a house the whole process here and stop
Asking silly questions until
You do . Sorry but there isnt a sure fire way to avoid get swindled it happened to some of my friends who discovered after buying that some plans for their house didn't exist and suddenly their cadesteral income which is the rates pYBle rocketed and they had to have plans drawn up. They discovered their house wasnt made of the correct material bricked weren't weather proof floors supported by ceiling joists I could go on. These people are fluent in all national language in fact one is a native. They did attempt to pursue this in the court but lost the case because they couldn't prove they didn't know.mosyly the fault of their notaite and again they could sue her either.
I think their are experts you can hire but they have yet out clauses in their contract too that say if I don't spot I'm not liable.
I think becasse clearly told you about a notarie which is a lawyer
One has to mAke all enquirer before making an offer and then it's binding both ways if accepted.
There are two ways to go one is buy a complete wreck Nd expect to have to redo everything from wiring to plumbing the other is get something someone else did up. Either way it's gamble
We renovated a penthouse in the Sablon- set up a meeting with Alex, he can surely help with most aspects of the process- site selection, building team etc....As for the 'clinical' look this is purely due to presentation, before/after deco etc..You can have it exactly as you'd like, plus decorated!
With your budget and specifications, I think building is a good option- an area like Rode-St. Genese can offer nature, and be in the city in 20 minutes.
Option 1: Mansion with garden (Avenue Moliere!)
2: Finding a plot in the city and building
It's incredibly helpful to have an architect with you both before you buy the house and to assist with the buying (good contacts, etc.)
Good luck!
I should mention, we're leaving the Sablon at some point and we've started our own house hunting now, it's tough out there!
> How does one go about not getting swindled?
Take your time.
> Our budget is 5M with renovations included
Allow up to 3 years to find the right property.
By the time you've looked for long enough, you'll know what the right property is when it comes up and you'll know how much you need to pay for it and what to allow for doing it up.
