Frequently Asked Questions About Mortgages and Buying a Home in Tilburg

A mortgage advisor works out which mortgage suits your income, financial situation, home and plans for the future. It isn't just about how much you can borrow or which lender has the lowest rate.

The type of mortgage, the fixed-rate period, the terms, your monthly costs, the risks and the flexibility all matter too. At Belderbrandt, we also guide you through the application process until your mortgage is fully arranged.

The right mortgage for you depends on factors such as your income, assets, age, plans for the future, appetite for risk and the home you want to buy.

That is why the mortgage with the lowest rate is not automatically the best one. We compare both the rate and the terms, and look for a solution that fits your situation now and your plans for later.

How much you can borrow depends on factors such as your income, financial commitments, the mortgage interest rate and the value of the home.

Lenders work with national lending standards, but they can treat things like business income, temporary income, bonuses and other parts of your income differently.

At Belderbrandt, we can calculate your maximum mortgage before you have found a home. That way, you know up front which price range to search in responsibly.

Yes. In fact, it's wise to know your financial options before you start viewing homes seriously or make an offer.

We calculate roughly how much you can borrow, how much of your own money you need and what the monthly costs would be. That means you can search in a more focused way, with a clearer idea of what is financially realistic.

There is no single mortgage interest rate. Rates differ from lender to lender and depend on factors such as the fixed-rate period, the size of the mortgage relative to the value of the home, and whether you use the Dutch National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG).

What's more, the lowest mortgage rate is not always the best choice. Terms covering moving home, making extra repayments and taking your rate with you can make a big difference later on.

The mortgage interest rate affects the most you can borrow. A higher rate can lower your maximum mortgage, while a lower rate can increase your borrowing capacity.

So the rate affects not only your monthly costs, but also the amount you can borrow.

NHG stands for Nationale Hypotheek Garantie, the Dutch National Mortgage Guarantee. Under certain conditions, a mortgage with NHG can offer extra security, and it often comes with a lower mortgage interest rate.

Whether you qualify for NHG depends on factors such as the current NHG limit and the home you are buying. As part of our mortgage advice, we check whether NHG is possible and suitable for you.

No. It can also be possible to get a mortgage with a temporary contract, a letter of intent or a flexible income.

How your income is assessed depends on your employment relationship and the lender's conditions. That's why we look at your actual situation, rather than only at the type of contract printed at the top of your employment agreement.

Student debt can affect how much you can borrow. When lenders work out your maximum mortgage, they take your existing financial commitments into account.

Exactly how big the effect is depends on your student debt and the rules that apply at the time. We factor it in straight away when we calculate your maximum mortgage.

With some lenders, you can take out a mortgage without personal mortgage advice, subject to conditions. This is known as execution only.

A mortgage, however, is a financial commitment that often runs for decades. That's why mortgage advice is about more than finding a low rate. It also covers the terms, the risks, tax, flexibility and the long-term consequences of your choices.

A mortgage application can sometimes be completed within a few weeks, but the timeline varies from case to case.

How quickly it goes depends on factors such as how complex your application is, how soon the required documents are available and how long the lender takes to process it.

If your home purchase comes with a deadline for the financing contingency (financieringsvoorbehoud), we take that into account from the start and actively keep things moving.

Ideally before you make an offer. If you know in advance how much you can borrow, how much of your own money you need and what the monthly costs will be, you are in a far better position to decide how much you can spend on a home.

So there is no need to wait until you have already bought a home before you bring in a mortgage advisor.

In principle, you can't borrow more than the value of the home in the Netherlands. That means you often have to pay the additional costs, in full or in part, with your own money.

Examples include mortgage advice, the civil-law notary, the appraisal, a structural survey and, where applicable, transfer tax.

Exactly how much of your own money you need depends on your personal situation and the home you buy.

That is not always possible. As a rule, a mortgage may not exceed the value of the home, and buying a home also comes with additional costs.

There are situations in which some of these costs can be covered another way, for example with a gift. That's why we calculate in advance not only your maximum mortgage, but also how much of your own money you will need for the purchase.

On top of the purchase price, you can face costs for the notary, mortgage advice and brokerage, an appraisal, a structural survey and, where applicable, transfer tax and the NHG guarantee fee.

Which costs apply to you depends on your situation. Some of the costs can be tax-deductible, subject to conditions.

Yes. Parents can help by giving you money as a gift, for example, or by contributing financially in another way.

Which options are sensible and permitted depends on the situation. So it's wise to factor any financial help from your parents into the mortgage advice early on.

The municipality of Tilburg offers an SVn starter loan (Starterslening), subject to conditions, for people buying their first home. In certain situations, the starter loan can bridge the gap between the price of the home and the amount you can finance with a regular mortgage. See https://www.tilburg.nl/inwoners/subsidies/starterslening/ (in Dutch) for the current conditions.

Conditions apply to the buyer, the home and the financing, among other things. We can assess whether you qualify for the Tilburg starter loan and how it can be combined with your mortgage.

Yes. The starter loan is intended to supplement your regular mortgage.

Both the regular mortgage and the starter loan do have to meet certain conditions. That's why we look at the two loans together, as a single package.

In many situations, yes. Whether it's financially sensible and feasible depends on factors such as your income, your current mortgage, the expected sale proceeds and the home equity available.

We can calculate in advance what happens if you buy first and sell afterwards, so you know which temporary and ongoing monthly costs come with it.

Subject to conditions, a bridging mortgage lets you use part of the expected equity in your current home before that home has actually been sold and transferred to the buyer.

The options vary by lender and depend on factors such as the value of your current home, the outstanding mortgage and whether the home has already been sold.

Some mortgages have a portability option. Subject to conditions, this lets you take the interest rate on all or part of your existing mortgage with you to your new home.

Whether that's possible, and whether it's financially attractive, depends on the terms of your current lender and your new financing.

That is sometimes possible through the moving or portability option on your current mortgage.

Such an option can be valuable, especially when your existing rate is well below current mortgage rates. The terms vary widely between lenders, though. So it's wise to look into this before you sell your current home or choose a new mortgage.

If you sell your home with equity in it and then buy another owner-occupied home, the Dutch reinvestment rule (bijleenregeling) can apply.

This can affect the mortgage interest deduction on your new mortgage. So we factor in the expected equity when we work out the financing for your next home.

Yes. You can get a mortgage as an entrepreneur or self-employed professional too.

Lenders do assess an entrepreneur's application differently from that of someone in salaried employment. They look at things such as your business results, how your income has developed, the continuity of your business and its prospects.

Mortgage advice for entrepreneurs is one of our specialities at Belderbrandt.

Not every lender requires three full financial years in business. Some lenders also offer options to entrepreneurs who have been trading for a shorter time.

How your income is determined and which options you have depend on your business, your figures, your forecast, your work history and the lender.

In some situations, yes.

Lenders assess new business owners in different ways. Besides your first business results, factors such as your work history, sector, forecast and how the business is developing can play a role.

With a short track record in particular, the differences between lenders can be large.

For entrepreneurs, lenders usually look at financial results over several years. Depending on the situation, recent figures, forecasts and the development of the business can also be taken into account.

How the qualifying income is determined varies by lender and situation. As a result, the same entrepreneur can have a different borrowing capacity with different lenders.

Yes. As a director-major shareholder, you can take out a mortgage too.

For a DGA, lenders can look not only at your salary but also at the company's financial position and results. As a result, the assessment is often more extensive than for someone whose income comes solely from employment.

The documents you need vary from one application to the next. Examples include annual accounts, income tax returns, recent figures and information about the business.

We tell you in advance which documents your situation calls for, so you don't suddenly have to go on a digital scavenger hunt through three years of records halfway through the application.

A purchase-guidance advisor is on your side while you buy a home. We help with things such as assessing the home and the asking price, deciding on a bidding strategy, the negotiations and reviewing the agreements around the purchase.

At Belderbrandt, we combine purchase guidance with mortgage expertise. That means we look at the home, the offer and the financial consequences at the same time.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, we act as your buying agent, mainly by helping you decide on a well-founded offer: what should you offer to stand a real chance of getting the home, without paying more than you need to? Our purchase guidance ties in directly with the mortgage advice, so you also know whether the offer is financially feasible. You find homes and go to viewings yourself. If you want a buying agent who also suggests properties and comes along to viewings, a more extensive service is a better fit. That usually comes at a higher fee than our purchase guidance.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, you can combine mortgage advice and purchase guidance.

That means we can take your financial options into account while you are still searching and bidding. You don't have to explain your situation all over again to different parties, and the purchase and the financing line up with each other from the start.

Yes. As part of our purchase guidance, we help you decide on a bidding strategy.

We don't just look at the asking price, but also at the home, the market, your financial headroom and the risks, among other things. In the end, you decide what offer to make.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, we guide buyers through making offers on homes in Tilburg and the surrounding area.

We bring our mortgage expertise straight into the buying process. That way, we can look not just at the offer itself, but also at the financial consequences and the conditions attached to your offer.

Yes. The conditions attached to an offer can have major financial consequences.

That's why, as part of our purchase guidance, we also look at the financing and at the conditions that matter in your situation. This way, we try to keep you from taking unnecessary financial risks when you make an offer.

No. At Belderbrandt, we guide only one buyer per home.

When we're guiding you through buying a particular home, we don't take on another client who wants to bid on that same home. That makes it clear that we represent your interests alone.

At Belderbrandt, our purchase guidance works on a no cure, no pay basis. You only pay the purchase guidance fee if the purchase actually goes ahead.

You'll find the current fee and terms on our purchase guidance page.

Then we keep looking.

With purchase guidance on a no cure, no pay basis, you don't pay again every time an offer is turned down. We stay involved in your search, in line with the arrangements we agree with you beforehand.

A local mortgage advisor knows not just mortgages, but also the area where you are buying a home.

Belderbrandt is based in Tilburg, and we help clients finance and buy homes in Tilburg and the surrounding area. That means mortgage advice, local housing market knowledge and purchase guidance can come together.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, we help first-time buyers, people moving to their next home, entrepreneurs and other buyers finance a home in Tilburg and the surrounding area.

We can help you with just the mortgage or, if you prefer, combine mortgage advice with purchase guidance.

Yes. In fact, combining mortgage advice with purchase guidance is an important part of our services.

It means we can take your maximum mortgage, your own money, your monthly costs and the financing risks into account before you even make an offer. Once you buy a home, we guide you through the mortgage application as well.

No. Our office is in Tilburg, but we can also help clients from the region and beyond.

Meetings can take place at our office, at your home or via Teams. So mortgage advice isn't tied to one location.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, you can choose to have your mortgage meeting at home.

You can also come to our office in Tilburg or hold the meeting via Teams. You choose whatever works best for you.

At Belderbrandt, you deal directly with the advisor who knows your situation and handles your mortgage.

We combine independent mortgage advice with purchase guidance, and we have deliberately chosen a personal, small-scale approach. You can meet us at our office in Tilburg, at your home or via Teams, including outside normal office hours.

And we look beyond the lowest mortgage rate. The aim is a mortgage (and, if you want one, a buying strategy) that fits your financial situation and plans.

Belderbrandt was founded by Martin Vrieling, a mortgage advisor and purchase-guidance advisor in Tilburg.

Martin has worked in financial services since 1999. He started his career on the options exchange in Amsterdam and later became a mortgage advisor.

At Hypotheek Shop Tilburg and Hypotheek Visie Tilburg, he helped hundreds of clients in Tilburg arrange their mortgages. At Hypotheek Visie, he also built up purchase guidance as part of the services on offer.

That combination of financial experience, mortgage advice and purchase guidance is the foundation of Belderbrandt.

Yes. Belderbrandt is not tied to any one bank or lender.

Which lender is right for you depends on your personal and financial situation. So we look not only at the interest rate, but also at acceptance criteria, flexibility and terms that can become important later on.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, we also guide expats and internationals who want to buy and finance a home in the Netherlands.

Extra factors can come into play, such as your residence status, income from abroad or a work history outside the Netherlands. We look at the options open to you up front.

Mortgage advice is available in Dutch and English.

Belderbrandt is based in the Interpolis building at Spoorlaan 298 in Tilburg.

From our office in the centre of Tilburg, we help clients from Tilburg, the surrounding towns and, depending on the situation, further afield.

We can meet at the office, but also at your home or via Teams.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, you can also book a mortgage meeting outside normal office hours.

We offer appointments during the day, in the evening and on Saturdays. Our online calendar shows which times are available.

Yes. At Belderbrandt, Saturday appointments are possible too.

In our online calendar, you can see straight away which times are free and choose an appointment that suits you.

Yes. The first consultation at Belderbrandt is free and comes with no obligation.

In that meeting, we discuss your situation, your plans and your most important questions. You get a clear picture of what we can do for you, and then decide for yourself whether you want to go ahead.

For a first introductory meeting, you don't need to put together a complete mortgage file beforehand.

We start with your situation, your plans and your questions. If we then move on to a calculation, advice or a mortgage application, we'll tell you exactly which documents we need.

On the Belderbrandt website, you can pick an available time straight away.

We offer meetings during the day, in the evening and on Saturdays. The appointment can take place at our office in Tilburg, at your home or via Teams.