Bidding on a home in Amsterdam: how overbidding works in 2026
In Amsterdam the asking price is a starting point, not a price tag. Of our own sales over the past two years, 72 percent went above the asking price, on average 5.9 percent above it. How much you should bid depends on the number of interested buyers, your conditions and the completion date, not on a fixed percentage.
The asking price is a starting point
A seller and his agent set the asking price so that enough buyers come to view. In a market with few homes for sale, that often means the final price ends up higher. Of the homes we sold over the past twenty-four months (as at 20 September 2026), 72 percent went above the asking price, 7 percent at the asking price and 21 percent below it. On average the purchase price was 5.9 percent above the asking price.
That average says little about the home you want to bid on. An apartment in Oud-West with fifteen viewings in the first week is a different market from a villa in Laren that has been for sale for three months.
How bidding works in practice
When there is a lot of interest, the selling agent runs a bidding round: everyone submits one bid before a fixed date and time, without knowing what others bid. The seller then chooses. He does not always choose the highest amount. A bid without a financing condition, or with a completion date that suits the seller, can beat a higher bid with more conditions.
With less interest it is a normal negotiation: you bid, the seller makes a counter-offer, and so on. There is no fixed rule for how far below or above the asking price you start.
What your bid consists of
A bid is more than an amount. It also includes:
Conditions. A financing condition or a building survey condition protects you, but makes your bid weaker. Check with your mortgage adviser in advance what you can manage without conditions, and with an older building have a survey done before you bid.
The completion date. Being flexible on the date is sometimes worth more than a few thousand euros.
Movable items. What you take over, such as floors, curtains and lamps, is part of the bid.
How do you decide what to bid?
Start from what comparable homes in the same street or area have fetched in recent months, not from the asking price. Then look at what makes this home different: the floor, the outdoor space, the ground lease, the owners association (VvE) and the foundations. A buying agent does this with the sales figures that agents share with each other, and knows how the selling agent works.
Set your limit in advance. In a bidding round it is tempting to go just over it, and a home you can only afford by moving your limit is rarely the right choice.
Statutory cooling-off period
If you are a private buyer purchasing a home to live in, you have a statutory cooling-off period of three days after signing the purchase agreement. Within that period you can withdraw from the purchase without giving a reason.
Would you like to know what to bid on a particular home? We can help, as your buying agent in Amsterdam, the Gooi and the Vecht area, in English.