Mortgage advice alongside your purchase
Mortgage advice is not something we give ourselves. We work with our partner HONK Hypotheekadvies, an independent adviser who compares the products of around forty lenders on the Dutch market and is happy to advise in English. Before you make an offer, you know what you can borrow and what it will cost you each month.
When your estate agent and your mortgage adviser work well together, the timing takes care of itself, and timing is often what decides a purchase. Both know your financial position, when your reflection period ends and by which date the financing must be arranged.
Who are HONK Hypotheekadvies?
HONK Hypotheekadvies is an independent mortgage adviser based in Amsterdam and active since 2016. The firm has chosen to stay small, so the person you meet is the person who handles your application from start to finish. Gerbert Jan ter Braake is a registered financial adviser (Erkend Financieel Adviseur).
HONK is not tied to any lender. It compares around forty of them, from major banks such as ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank to insurers such as Aegon and a.s.r., so the advice is shaped by your circumstances rather than by one bank's products.
HONK is supervised by the AFM, the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets, and advises in Dutch and in English, which our international clients greatly appreciate.
Your first conversation costs you nothing. You can meet at their office or by video call, and evening appointments are possible too. CHECK
honkhypotheekadvies.nl
From a first conversation to the notary's office
A first conversation
Your income, savings, any existing mortgage and your plans. From these follow what you are able to borrow and what would be wise to borrow, which are not always the same.
A clear budget
Before your first viewing you know your ceiling and your monthly costs, which helps you keep a cool head when bidding.
The right conditions
We decide together whether to include a financing clause and which deadline is achievable. Your adviser confirms that date before your bid goes in.
Application and appraisal
When the purchase is agreed, your application goes to the lender. If a validated appraisal is required, we arrange one with an independent valuer.
The mortgage offer
Your adviser takes you through the offer: the fixed rate period, how you repay, the penalties for early repayment and the terms that will still matter in thirty years.
Transfer
The mortgage deed and the deed of transfer are signed at the notary on the same day. We are there for the final inspection and the handover of the keys.
Request an introductory conversation
We will introduce you to HONK Hypotheekadvies. The first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Why we do not do this ourselves
Mortgage advice is a separate profession, with its own licences and its own duty of care. We prefer to work with specialists who do nothing else, rather than offer it as a sideline. HONK compares independently, and our own role stays clear: looking after your interests in the purchase or the sale.
You are free to arrange your financing elsewhere. If you already have an adviser or prefer your own bank, we will work with them just as happily.
What buyers ask us about financing
What does mortgage advice cost?
HONK charges a fixed fee, which you hear before any work begins. The first conversation costs nothing.
Can I bid without a financing condition?
Doing so strengthens your bid, but if your financing then fails you will owe a penalty. We always discuss it with you and your adviser beforehand, never in the heat of the moment.
When should I start?
Before your first viewing. If you only start the calculations after your bid is accepted, time runs short and surprises follow. One early conversation prevents both.
I have only just started working here. Can I borrow?
Often yes, also with a temporary contract or a residence permit for a fixed period, though you will need more paperwork. The expat scheme is taken into account too, and HONK can explain all of this in English.