Expat Housing Center

07/08/2026

‼️ Episode 2 is here ‼️

The second episode of our video series on preparing your move to the Netherlands on the hashtag is now live, and this one tackles one of the biggest questions relocating parents face: international schools, bilingual schools, or Dutch schools?

We sit down again with Lizzie Bate from Bridge the Gap and Learn With Me. A British expat, mum, and primary education specialist with 20 years of international teaching experience. Lizzie has navigated the Dutch education system, international schools in the Netherlands, and bilingual programs firsthand, and now supports expat families in choosing the right school.

In this episode, we break down:
• How international schools in the Netherlands operate
• What bilingual schools offer
• How Dutch primary schools work
• Key factors for choosing the best school when relocating with children

If you’re moving to the Netherlands with kids (on the or any ) this episode will help you understand your school options and make an informed decision.

Watch the full episode, and follow along: episode three on education is

01/08/2026

‼️ It is here ‼️

The first episode of our new weekly video series on preparing your move on the visa to the Netherlands is live.

And we are starting with the topic that keeps most relocating parents awake at night: your children's education.

In this first episode of three about education, we sit down with Lizzie Bate from Bridge the Gap and Learn With Me. Lizzie is a British expat, a mum, and a primary education specialist with 20 years of international teaching experience. She has navigated the Dutch school system firsthand and now helps expat families do the same.

In this video we talk about how the Dutch system actually works

If you are moving to the Netherlands on the visa, or any visa, with children, this episode is the place to start.

Watch the full episode. Episodes two and three on education are coming soon, so follow along.

31/07/2026

One more sleep!!

27/07/2026

Hi, my name is Angelique Basten and I read an article today from a selling agent about selling your own house.

His point was fair: yes, you can save money on agent fees. But saving on fees isn't the same as coming out ahead. He wrote it from the seller's side. I want to add the buyer's side, because that's the side we see every week.

Here's what actually happens when a seller decides to sell without an agent.

The moment a buyer finds out there's no selling agent involved, questions start forming. Why is this person trying to save money on one of the biggest financial transactions of their life? What are they cutting corners on? What don't I know yet?

For an international buyer, this feeling is even stronger. They don't know Dutch property law, they don't know what's normal here, and now the one person who's supposed to give them straight information is the same person trying to sell them the house.

Then there's the viewing itself.

A viewing with a selling agent feels like inspecting a product. A viewing with the owner standing in the room feels like an awkward home visit. Buyers don't sit on the couch. They don't open a cupboard to check for damp. They don't ask "why are you actually moving" or "has anything ever leaked here" because that question feels rude to ask a person directly, even though it's completely normal to ask an agent.

Buyers self-censor. Not because they don't have questions, but because the questions suddenly feel personal instead of professional.

And that's the real cost.

Not just fewer critical questions asked, but fewer buyers walking through the door at all. A large share of buyers work with a buying agent, and buying agents tend to steer their clients toward listings that run through a professional selling agent, simply because the process, the communication, and the negotiation are easier to manage that way.

So the seller "saves" the commission, but quietly shrinks their own audience. That's not a real saving. That's a perceived one.

As a buying agent, we sit on the other side of this every time. We see how much easier a transaction becomes when there's a professional on both sides, and how much a buyer's guard goes up the moment there isn't.

So I'll ask the same question back to anyone reading this as a buyer: would you rather view a home with the owner standing next to you, or with an agent who can actually answer your questions honestly?

Angelique Basten, your buyers agent at Expat Housing Center. Licensed real estate agent.

📧 www.expathousingcenter.nl

25/07/2026

16/07/2026

💥 Something new is coming on 1 August 2026 💥

Thinking about moving to the Netherlands on the visa? We have got you covered! The difference between a smooth landing and a stressful one comes down to one thing: preparation.

That is exactly what this new video series is about. We help you prepare for your move, so that by the time you arrive, you already know what to expect and what to arrange.

Education and international schools
Finding work and building a business here
Getting a mortgage as an American in the Netherlands
Renting and buying a home as a newcomer
Real stories from expats who made the move

No sales talk. Just honest, practical answers to the questions we get asked every single day.

First episode drops 1st of August 2026. Follow along so you do not miss it.

03/07/2026

🚨 Monday reminded me why I never let my guard down. 🚨

Final inspection day. My buyers had just handed in the keys to their holiday stay. They arrived with a fully packed van, a dog, and 3 cats.

New country, new home, day one.

Except the house was locked. No access. No seller in sight.

Furniture still inside. Two cats running loose. And a seller under mandatory legal guardianship (bewindvoering), with a lawyer handling their affairs.

The selling agent suggested breaking in, claiming the bewindvoerder had given permission.

I said no, and went straight in to action.

Instead, I requested the police for a "strong arm" presence. I called the notary and requested funds be withheld from the sale for damages, removal, and cleaning. A locksmith was arranged to replace the locks properly and legally.

Upstairs, every door had been deliberately locked. It didn't take long to understand: this seller had no intention of leaving.

Meanwhile, my buyers stood outside with everything they owned and nowhere else to go. This was their first experience of their new country.

All I could think was: what if they hadn't had someone who was licensed and understood the law? What if they'd trusted a "self-made expat agent" instead of someone who knew exactly which calls to make and in which order?

A huge thank you to , the notary who was super patient and supporting and allowed the transfer to happen hours later. Our translator waited without complaint while we sorted access and got the bewindvoerder to cooperate on withholding funds. It was due to the support of these legends that we could still transfer title.

Afterward, the buyers and I regrouped. Got food. Made a plan. Arranged a cleaner, a builder. By the time we all went home, the panic had turned into a plan.

This is the part of the job no one sees: not the keys handed over with a smile, but the hours before, making sure nothing falls apart when it easily could have.

Buyers deserve someone who knows what to do when things go wrong, not just when things go right.

This is why we do what we do ❤️

🌐 www.expathousingcenter.nl

22/06/2026

💰 €65,000. That's what buying without expert guidance cost this family 💰

Anyone can find a house, and can buy one, even with AI.
But knowing what you're actually buying? That requires expertise.

Here's what happened.

A client bought a home independently.
They moved in. Nine months later, they noticed something was wrong. The house was unbearably hot. Then the mould appeared.

After inspection by Basten Onderhoud (my husband) he found the cause.

A sunroom (serre) had been installed at the back of the house by the previous owner. They had also removed the internal sliding doors between the living room and the serre, and placed them as the entrance door of the serre itself. From the inside, it looked and felt like part of the home.

It wasn't.

Boarding had been placed under the glass roof of the serre, and along the left and right walls. In summer it turned the space into an oven. Over time, the temperature difference caused the roof to perspire. Nine months was all it took for mould to start forming.

Here's the critical point: the technical building inspector had completely missed it. Yes, there was a small remark in the report, but no red flags.

A 'Tuin Maximaal serre' is not a proper house extension. It was never designed to be one. No insulation. No structural foundation. It's not designed to function as permanent living space.

The serre had to be demolished entirely.
A proper extension had to be built in its place.

Total additional cost: €65,000.

This is exactly why a licensed buying agent is not a luxury. A certified aankoop makelaar with a construction background asks the questions a standard inspector doesn't. They spot what a seller hopes you won't notice. They understand the difference between what something looks like and what it legally and structurally is.

There are many people in the industry. Not all of them are the same!

A licensed buying agent (a certified aankoopmakelaar) is trained to protect you. To ask the right questions. To see what isn't obvious. To understand what a property actually is, not just what it looks like.

Trying to save money by skipping the expert is often the most expensive decision you'll make.

A good agent pays for themselves. Every single time.

This is why we do what we do.

📩 www.expathousingcenter.nl



ps: The photo's are used as example only, to paint the picture

22/06/2026

❤️ A beautiful new chapter for a wonderful couple ❤️

Not only did they receive the keys to their new home in Veldhoven, they also recently tied the knot, double the celebration and double the joy!

Grateful to have guided them through this exciting transition and proud to support another smooth home purchase in the Eindhoven region.

A big thank‑you to the selling agent from Henri Kox Makelaardij for the pleasant collaboration, the valuer, for the quick action, and of course Lisa Van de P**l from Buro Beerens the mortgage advisor for a seamless application process and And last but not least Broekmans & Bijnen jouw notaris, always a party transferring titles with you!

Here’s to new beginnings 🍾 happy homes, and strong partnerships within our real‑estate network.

15/06/2026

💔 Sometimes the stories that stay with me are the ones that should never have happened. 💔

A couple relocated to the Netherlands for ASML. Excited, overwhelmed, far from home, and they did what felt logical: they hired a company suggested by their employer.

A buying agent, like me, but not quite like me.

The purchase went through. And then reality set in.

The garage? Built on part of the yard without a permit. The fence? Illegal height. And those were just the beginning. Issue after issue surfaced, things that should have been caught, flagged, challenged before any contract was ever signed.

By the time they called me, they were in distress. The deal was done. The keys were in hand.

And the problems were theirs.

Here's what this story also taught me: a recommendation is a starting point, not a guarantee.

Even when someone comes highly suggested by your employer, a colleague, a trusted friend, do your own research. Check their credentials. Ask if they are licensed. Look up their reviews. A referral tells you someone was satisfied. It does not tell you whether that person was protected by an expert.

A buying agent is not just someone in your corner. They need to be your legal safeguard. Someone who knows the law, reads the construction details, and understands what the contract actually means, not just in English, but in every practical and legal sense.

Their buying agent turned out to be inexperienced and unlicensed.

Speaking your language fluently is not the same as speaking the law fluently.

We are blessed with the companies that bring incredible talent to the Brainport region. Those people deserve proper protection when they buy a home here.
Not someone who sounds reassuring. Someone who actually knows what they are doing.

Do your research. Every time.

This is why I do what I do ❤️

Expat Housing Center 🌐 www.expathousingcenter.nl

Expat Housing