Everyone knows the housing marketing in Amsterdam isn’t easy as a buyer. Nonetheless we were able to buy our very first apartment, a newly built one that is.
This story starts in 2016, we had to move out of our rental apartment. And around that same time I also just lost my job. So there were two things to do; 1: find a job, 2: and one that would help me getting the papers I need for a mortgage.
Both came a few months later, I found an amazing job and right after my first month the housing hunt began! This was not an easy task. I’ve viewed a few houses, but with me a whole bunch of other potential buyers. I had only one option to place a bid, and the house would go to the highest bidder. And yes, these bids often were €20.000 to €50.000 above the asking price!
Besides of the ridiculous amount you had to pay for these houses, most places in Amsterdam are built in the beginning of the 20th century. This means they’re about a hundred years old and with limited renovations.
After a month at looking at several expensive old places I came across a project in Diemen. A town just outside the beloved ring road of Amsterdam. A place where I would never look, because it’s not Amsterdam. Having nothing to lose I decided to make an appointment anyways.
The realtor showed me a scale model of this project called Holland Park, designed by Sjoerd Soeters; an architect who has some impressive housing constructions to his name. An area which was next to the metro and therefor within 15 minutes to Amsterdam Central. A whole new area for the higher end market. At the information center he showed me two model homes of how it would actually look like from the inside.
At that moment I was sold. I showed the project to Seb and we signed the contract a few days later. From there we had to wait for our new house to be finished, but first arrange the mortgage, decide on the kitchen and bathroom and more.
Now 2 years later we can almost move in!
