Family house in Amsterdam? Help!

Old May 18th 2014, 4:02 am
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Default Family house in Amsterdam? Help!

Newbie here

We are a family with two young children, and are seriously considering a move from UK to Amsterdam. Obviously we need to weigh up pros and cons before committing, and accepting job offer, so all advice much appreciated.

On first inspection the choice of housing seems incredibly limited, am I missing something?! Neatly everything I see is an apartment...is this how the majority live? I can't see houses, and gardens seem to not exist! Is this the case?

Is there really such a big difference between living options?

I've been looking on the Dutch websites, two of them I think, equivalent to Rightmove in UK...and am quite worried that 3 bedroom houses don't exist!!!

Please, any and all advice much appreciated!
TIA
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Old May 19th 2014, 6:52 am
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Default Re: Family house in Amsterdam? Help!

3 bedroom apartments exist, but prices are very high.
You might even get a whole [attached] house, but those prices are even higher. Free standing houses almost don't exist at all in Amsterdam, except for houseboats.
As a newcomer, you have to pay fee market prices. most residents of Amsterdam will be paying 25-50% in rent controlled apartments. If you stay in town long enough, your grandchildren might be eligible for these. In the meantime, it makes it difficult [expensive] for families to move into town.

But as you move away from the center, things get cheaper. The farther you go, the cheaper it gets.

Sale prices are very low at the moment, but rents have barely moved. This makes buying quite attractive at the moment, but that's a big decision to make.
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Old May 19th 2014, 12:07 pm
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Default Re: Family house in Amsterdam? Help!

Rent control applies to anyone, it doesn't depend on the length of your stay. As a foreigner who presumably speaks little or no Dutch, expect to be ripped off.

As for a houses, they are quite rare in the Randstad, the metropolitan area that goes from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. Most people live in flats.

If you really want a family house, consider living in the East and commute to Amsterdam. Prices won't be cheaper but there's more choice.

If you are in the negotiation stage, ask your prospective employer if and to what extent they will refund travel expenses.
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Old May 20th 2014, 10:28 am
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Default Re: Family house in Amsterdam? Help!

Most families live in the suburbs, where you can get houses with gardens. However, your average family will live in a large terraced house; semi detached and detached are out of most people's price range (especially near the cities). Gardens are generally small because space is at a premium, but everywhere has playgrounds (speltuins).

As Amsterdam is a small city, it's easy to get into the city from the suburbs within 15 mins. Amstelveen is like an extension of Amsterdam, and has a more varied housing stock, but because of it's proximity to the International Schools, housing here is very expensive.

Almere is the newest of the 'feeder towns' and has many, regular trains: it's still growing and has the cheapest houses. Other regions to check out are Amstelveen (tram links), Hooddorp (rail link), Haarlem (bus links), or if you prefer something little more green and village-like, Weesp, Uithoorn, Aalsmeer, etc.

www.funda.nl is probably the equivalent of Rightmove, and when you select number of kamers (rooms), they always count the living room too - so a 3 bedroom house would be a 4-kamer house. www.jaap.nl is also worth a look as it has independent estate agents as well as members of the trade association.

This search might help you http://www.funda.nl/huur/kaart/#/reg...ngezinswoning/

I'd also recommend looking at www.rooftrack.nl. These are free-sector rentals by housing corporations, often newbuilds, and usually cheaper than you'd get from a private landlord (with no agency fees), but they can be 'bare' houses, which you need to decorate (here, houses are stripped bare for the next resident, down to the flooring, curtain rails and light fittings). For example (about 10 mins by bus from centrum) http://www.rooftrack.nl/EenheidDetails/150012069

Finally, in addition to small gardens, a couple other things to expect. Kitchens are very small compared to English ones, and often come with no (real) oven, choosing for a tiny microwave or combi instead. Also, en-suites are unheard of: you get one family bathroom (and usually a downstairs toilet room). Stairs can be lethal (steep), especially in older properties, and don't expect garages or even private parking spaces as standard. Most families have one car; parents at home - and all children - cycle everywhere.

Last edited by Red_Wine_Fairy; May 20th 2014 at 11:11 am. Reason: added search link
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