Buying a house in Utrecht as an expat: how to buy before the bidding starts
Utrecht is where Dutch buyers overbid most: in the second quarter of 2026 homes in the city sold on average 13.6 percent above the asking price (Huispedia). A bank lends at most the valuation, so every euro above it comes from your savings. The way around the bidding is to buy before there is a bidding round: get onto local agents' lists and write to owners in the streets you want.
In short
- In the second quarter of 2026 homes in the city of Utrecht sold on average 13.6 percent above the asking price, the highest of the big Dutch cities (Huispedia).
- In the same quarter the province of Utrecht averaged 7.7 percent over the asking price and the Netherlands 4.8 percent (Huispedia).
- A Dutch mortgage covers at most the valued market value of the home; overbidding above the valuation and the buyer's costs are paid from savings.
- In Utrecht's older neighbourhoods near the centre, such as Wittevrouwen and Oudwijk, many homes change hands through neighbours and agents' lists before they are listed.
Written by Jiri, estate agent in Maastricht and founder of DoorLetter.
Updated on 7 October 2026.
I am Jiri, an estate agent in Maastricht. If you are moving to Utrecht, you have probably heard that it is the hardest city in the country to buy in, and for once the rumour is right. In the second quarter of 2026, homes in the city of Utrecht sold on average 13.6 percent above the asking price, the highest of the big Dutch cities (Huispedia). Below is what that means for you, and how to buy a home there without ending up in that bidding round.
What homes cost, and what overbidding costs
- Average sale price, Utrecht
- €549,113
- 2025, +5.6% on 2024
- Province of Utrecht
- €560,526
- 2025
- The Netherlands
- €479,527
- 2025
Across the province of Utrecht the average was 7.7 percent over the asking price in that same quarter, against 4.8 percent for the whole country (Huispedia). An average is made of houses that went far above and houses that went at or below the asking price; a terraced family house that is priced low draws the most bids, a detached house or an apartment that has been on the market a while the fewest.
Before you take part in any of it, know your own ceiling. A Dutch bank lends at most the market value that an independent valuer puts on the home. Whatever you bid above that valuation, you pay from savings, together with the buyer's costs, kosten koper: two percent transfer tax for a home you will live in (buyers under 35 buying their first home pay none below a price limit set each year), the notary, the valuer and the mortgage adviser. On a 13 percent overbid that is a large sum, and that number, not the asking price, is what decides whether you can buy. A mortgage adviser who works with expats can tell you yours in one conversation; have it before your first viewing.
Where homes change hands before Funda
Utrecht's older neighbourhoods close to the centre are places people do not leave. They buy a flat at thirty, a house when children come, and they are still there twenty years later. When something does come up, it often goes to a neighbour, to someone on a local agent's list, or to the person who had already written to the owner. I have written about five of these neighbourhoods: Wittevrouwen, Oudwijk, Lombok, Oog in Al and Tuindorp.
If you work in Amsterdam, Utrecht is still a sensible choice: the intercity takes about half an hour, and many people make that trip every day. It also means you share the market with buyers who work in Amsterdam.
Two ways to buy before the bidding starts
The first is to get onto the lists of the agents who sell in your streets. Find the three to five agents whose boards you see there and email each of them: who is buying, which streets, what kind of home, your budget and your mortgage adviser's confirmation, and that you can view at short notice. Then call a week later. A buyer with the finance ready is exactly who an agent calls when a seller asks for a quiet sale.
The second goes one step further back, to the owner before any agent is involved. You choose the streets where you want to live, pick the houses that would suit you, and write each owner a personal letter: who you are, why this house, and that you would like to hear from them if they ever consider selling. That is not an offer, and there is no price in it. In a city where every listed house draws a crowd, it is the one route where you are not competing with that crowd. Both routes are explained step by step in how to buy an off-market house in the Netherlands.
Writing to owners in Utrecht
A short English letter works in Utrecht; the city is used to international residents and students. If you can, add a Dutch version on the back: it shows effort, and an older owner will read that one. Say in the first lines that you want to live there yourself. Utrecht letterboxes also receive mail from investors, and the first paragraph has to show that yours is different.
A template in English and Dutch is in writing to a Dutch homeowner. With DoorLetter the first letter is free, printed and delivered by PostNL, and the owner can reply anonymously with the code in the letter, also months later.
When an owner replies
Go and listen. An owner who replies has usually not decided anything yet, and wants to know who you are before talking about money. When you do agree, the formal route is the ordinary Dutch one: an independent valuation, your mortgage, a written purchase agreement, three days in which you may still withdraw, then the transfer at the notary's office. The difference is that you pay what the house is worth to the two of you, not what the twelfth bidder was prepared to pay.
Frequently asked questions
How much over the asking price should I bid in Utrecht?
No one can give you a percentage for a particular house. The city average in the second quarter of 2026 was 13.6 percent (Huispedia), but homes priced low draw the most bids and homes that have been for sale a while the fewest. Set your maximum from the valuation and your savings, and bid that, not the average.
Is Utrecht a good place to live if I work in Amsterdam?
Many people do it: the intercity between Utrecht and Amsterdam takes about half an hour. It does mean you share the market with buyers who work in both cities, so arrange your mortgage early and look beyond the best-known streets.
Where do homes in Utrecht change hands before Funda?
Mostly in the older neighbourhoods close to the centre, where people stay for decades: Wittevrouwen, Oudwijk, Lombok, Oog in Al and Tuindorp. There a house often goes to a neighbour, to someone on an agent's list, or to someone who had written to the owner.
Can I write to Utrecht homeowners in English?
Yes; Utrecht is used to international residents. Add a short Dutch version on the back if you can, and say in the first lines that you want to live there yourself, so the letter is not mistaken for an investor's mailing.
Write your first letter, free.
Pick the address where you would like to live and write in your own words why. The first letter is free, printed and delivered by PostNL; the owner can reply anonymously with the code in the letter.
Write your first letter