Reviews

Lauren was incredible. Not only did she get the job done quickly, efficiently, and in our favor, but she was kind, proactive and thoughtful throughout the process. It was clear she had empathy for our situation and was proactive in supporting us. I would HIGHLY recommend Homes for Expats and Lauren to anyone looking for housing in the Netherlands.

I’m writing this review from the dining room table of our beautiful new apartment in Amsterdam - a home that Cherene and Yvette helped us find and secure. As first-time buyers and expats, the entire process of buying a home in the Netherlands was completely new to us, and we genuinely couldn’t have asked for better support throughout the journey. From our initial search and viewings to making an offer, reviewing the purchase agreement, and eventually receiving the keys to our new home, Cherene guided us through every step of the process. She was always responsive, approachable, and incredibly patient in explaining anything we were unsure about. Cherene joined us for every viewing and never once made us feel rushed or pressured into buying a property unless we were completely comfortable with it . We especially appreciated having someone on our side who not only understood the Amsterdam property market, but also understood the additional questions and considerations that come with buying a home as an expat. Cherene truly leaves no stone unturned and always has her clients’ best interests at heart. She is incredibly thorough and persistent when it comes to finding the right home, while also making sure you don’t overpay and supporting you throughout the negotiation process. What impressed us most was that her support didn’t end once our offer was accepted. During the final inspection and key handover, we discovered that some painting work agreed with the sellers had not been completed. Cherene immediately stepped in to ensure that it would be resolved at no cost to us, and even followed up after we had moved in to make sure everything had been properly fixed. Yvette was equally fantastic throughout the process, making sure everything behind the scenes was organised and ran smoothly - from coordinating viewings and documentation to offers, contracts, notary appointments, and all the other administrative details involved in buying a home. What could have been an incredibly daunting process felt so much easier with Cherene, Yvette, and the Homes for Expats team by our side. We had such a positive experience and we are incredibly happy with the apartment we now get to call home. Thank you again to Cherene, Yvette, and the entire team for everything you did for us. We couldn’t recommend Homes for Expats more highly!

Nicky O’Brien did a first-rate job helping me find an apartment in the Eindhoven area so that I could relocate from the US. She was thoughtful, kind, responsive, professional, and went above and beyond to make me feel that everything would be taken care of properly—and it was. I couldn’t have done it without her.

My wife and I were incredibly pleased with Giselle and the Homes for Expats team. Coming from the US, navigating the Amsterdam housing market can be complex and hyper-competitive. Giselle provided very clear instruction and recommendations from providing apartment options all the way through contract negotiations and check-in. Additionally, Giselle was able to find us apartments not listed on primary websites based on her relationship with various listing agents, providing a critical advantage in the market. Beyond the impressive execution, Giselle was responsive throughout, addressing any questions we had quickly and robustly. I would recommend any Expat new to the Netherlands leverage Home for Expats given their stellar expertise and customer service.

They helped us buy our very first house. Cherene was very friendly and informative throughout the process. She didn’t push us at all when we didn’t feel like a house was a good fit for us. She always gave us enough information about the neighborhood and the small details that we might have missed. Additionally, she did her best to join most of our viewings, which helped a lot. It’s a stressful process to find a suitable house, especially for the very first time, but Cherene made it much smoother and easier. She also tried her best to get the best value for the apartment we bought and negotiated with the owners during the notary process, so we didn’t have to pay extra costs that weren’t necessary. On the other hand, I wish their team could have been more proactive in finding and booking new options that came up on the market. Also having a limited time contract (1year) although was fair but was a bit stressful for me.

Nikki was wonderful — very responsive and always willing to give thoughtful, helpful, timely feedback. She answered the questions we didn’t even know to ask!

Navigating the competitive Dutch housing market as an expat can be incredibly daunting, but working with Homes for Expats made the entire process seamless. After hearing about the severe housing shortage, we decided to seek professional help. Homes for Expats came highly recommended both online and by a local acquaintance, and choosing to work with them was the best decision we could have made. From our initial consultation, the team was professional, polite, and responsive. We had the pleasure of working directly with Kady, who was exceptional throughout every stage of our search. Kady went above and beyond—she was proactive in securing viewings, attending properties on our behalf, and submitting strong applications. Her local knowledge across various neighborhoods was remarkably in-depth, and she guided us through the cultural formalities of renting in the Netherlands with ease. Since we could not attend viewings in person, Kady sent detailed photos and videos that truly captured the condition of each property and its surrounding area, complete with insightful and refreshing commentary that kept our spirits high. Even after we secured our home, their support continued. Homes for Expats provided outstanding aftercare, assisting us with setting up essential utilities like gas and electricity, and even dropping by a few days after our move to ensure everything was going smoothly. House hunting in the Netherlands is undeniably tough, but Kady streamlined the process and put our minds completely at ease. We cannot recommend Homes for Expats highly enough, and we will definitely work with them again in the future!

First of all, if I could give more stars, I would. Finding housing in the Netherlands is difficult at best. Homes for Expats makes this process so much easier. Cherene and team are a delight to work with. We worked with Kady to find a home in the Den Haag area and she was able to secure the very first place we put an offer on. I know that without the relationship Kady had with the renting makelaar we wouldn't have had a chance! Kady had excellent communication with us during the process and had or went to get answers for all our questions - which were many. They also "tell it like it is". You share your budget and what you are looking for along with any parameters and they tell you if it's realistic or not. This is important. I want to know at the start of a search what our chances are. We were lucky enough to be living in the Netherlands already when we worked with Homes for Expats, but a lot of people do this from other countries. When you don't live here, it's impossible to know the realities of renting or buying a home. Cherene and team are upfront about what they can accomplish. Many of my clients have also worked with Homes for Expats and have had similar experiences. It's hard to know if the place you move to will be your forever home (it probably won't), but it will feel like home when you first arrive thanks to the help of this amazing team. If and when I need to move again, I know who my first call will be. Response from the owner: Dear Chris, Thank you so much for this incredibly lovely review. And I absolutely love that you would give us more stars if you could! I am so happy that we managed to secure the very first home you put an offer on. Relationships with other makelaars really do matter in this market, and sometimes they can make all the difference. I also really appreciate you mentioning that we “tell it like it is”, because that is exactly how I believe we should work. I would much rather be honest from the beginning about what is realistic than tell someone what they want to hear. Our clients need to know what they are walking into, especially when they are moving here from another country. Thank you not only for trusting Homes for Expats with your own home, but also for recommending us to your clients. That means a huge amount to me. And if the time comes to move again, we will be very happy to take that first call! Warmest regards, Cherene

Highly recommend working with Home for Expats for your home searching journey in the Netherlands! Jessica was a wonderful partner and incredibly supportive that I enjoyed having in my corner during this process. Response from the owner: Dear Minette, Thank you so much for your lovely review. I am so happy to hear that you felt supported throughout your home search and, most importantly, that you felt you had someone firmly in your corner. That is how I always want our clients to feel. Thank you for choosing Homes for Expats and for recommending us. I hope you are incredibly happy in your new home. Kindest regards, Cherene

When we decided to relocate to the Netherlands from Seattle, we knew that finding a rental would be challenging with five small pets in tow. What we didn’t anticipate, however, was being turned down by numerous makelaars who were outright unwilling to assist us. With a tight deadline looming due to several factors, we grew desperate and anxious. That’s when we stumbled upon Home for Expats. We met with Giselle, who was upfront about her concerns but genuinely committed to helping us as much as she could. We arrived in the Netherlands prepared for the possibility of securing short term housing while continuing our search. But Giselle worked her magic, and within less than a week of our arrival, we had found a long term home! Today, we’re happily settled with our boys and pets in a beautiful place we can truly call our own. We couldn’t have done it without Giselle and Home for Expats! Response from the owner: Dear Raquel, Thank you so much for this incredibly lovely review. Five small pets certainly made the search a little more challenging! I am so happy that you found Homes for Expats when you did and, even better, that within a week of arriving in the Netherlands you had secured a long term home. I also really appreciate you mentioning the honesty from the beginning. We will always be upfront about the realities of the market, but a challenging search does not mean we are not going to give it everything we can. Knowing that you, your boys and all five pets are now happily settled into a beautiful home makes me incredibly happy. Thank you for trusting Homes for Expats with your move to the Netherlands. Warm regards, Cherene (function(p){if(!p)return;let w=p.offsetWidth,m=function(a,b){return Math.min(a,b)===a};p.querySelector('.rpi-cnt').classList.replace('rpi-col-m','rpi-col-'+(m(w,510)?'xs':m(w,750)?'x':m(w,1050)?'s':m(w,1450)?'m':m(w,1800)?'l':'xl'))})(document.getElementById('rpi-2578-6ad1f5b05f61a'))