Buying a house on Curacao

Buying a house on Curacao

We take seven steps to purchase a home on Curacao. Below I explain exactly what this step-by-step plan entails and how I can guide you during this process.

Step 1. Finding a suitable home

Buying your own house on Curacao is exciting and fun, searching through various broker websites, local newspapers and driving around the neighborhoods where you might want to and furnish your dream home with your furniture on the virtual floor plans. But with every click another nice house appears. Every day new properties on Curacao come online. It is difficult to make the right choice from such a wide range. During this search on Curacao you can use a guide. That guide is there, the buying agent. After all, it may be the biggest purchase you will ever make in your life.

Where on Curacao?

As a buying agent on Curacao, I think along about the question of what kind of house suits you. Should it be an apartment in or near the center with all amenities close by or do you prefer to live in a secluded house with a sea view? Which neighborhoods belong to you and which ones don’t? With my years of experience as a buying agent on Curacao, I will point out houses that you might never think of yourself, but which can certainly become your new home. I will also advise you to spend an afternoon driving around and in the neighborhoods that you are interested in. Pay attention to the facilities you need in your daily life: shops within walking distance, schools, nurseries, a health center or perhaps many restaurants and nice bars. Also use social media for your research. Check out what people tweet (twitter) about their neighborhood. Is it an active neighborhood with a lot of parties or is it a lot of nuisance? You can also ask other social media users which streets they like and enjoy. Because of course your home should be nice, warm and cozy. The neighborhood largely determines your enjoyment of living. As a purchasing agent, I will critically examine the files for you to see which houses suit your housing needs and which do not. The big advantage of a purchase broker is that I know just a little earlier which houses will become available on the Curacao housing market.

Step 2. Viewing

Do you have a number of homes in mind? Then we will view it together and as your purchase broker I will make sure that you keep a cool head and do not let the talk of the selling broker drive you crazy. I thoroughly inspect the house for defects, white ants and expected maintenance. In this way we come together to get a total picture of the costs involved in purchasing your home.

Specialist

In many cases I recommend having an architectural investigation carried out by a specialist. Because as a buyer you are obliged to identify all visible defects before purchasing. If you don’t, they will be at your own expense later. The selling party, on the other hand, is obliged to disclose the hidden defects. As a purchase broker I also inquire about a number of practical matters such as; how much interest there is in the property and how the bid will proceed and what the reason for the sale is.

Step 3. Additional research

If you are seriously interested in a property on Curacao, a good sales broker will always advise you to do additional technical research. Especially with homes older than 15 years and special buildings such as monuments, it is advisable to look beyond the naked eye. A construction inspection on Curacao is always carried out by an independent expert. I have these experts on file myself, and can usually arrange an inspection for you at short notice. The architectural report will map out all defects in a house and also state what the repair costs are. Are all frames rotten or perhaps the roof almost worn out? Those are things you need to know in advance. Because maybe the love for that house is completely over or a lot of the asking price has to be reduced to get the house in optimal condition.

Enjoy living on Curacao

Furthermore, as a purchasing agent, I can also check other matters for you that affect your future living enjoyment. Is the Owners’ Association financially healthy from that nice apartment? What about the zoning plan and are there other special provisions from the government? We can also calculate for you what the expected energy costs will be and what your total housing costs per month will be.

Step 4. Negotiation

If you have fallen for a particular house, as a buying agent I will advise an opening offer based on all the knowledge that is available about the house and its surroundings. Because as a real estate agent on Curacao I also issue valuations of houses, I have a lot of experience in determining the correct value of a house. Not only do I look at the state and location, but I also look for the amounts for which equivalent homes have recently been sold in the area.
If you make a bid, you can do so with resolutive conditions. I will put these on paper for you and give you the right to cancel the purchase under certain conditions. Examples of this are:

• You will not be able to arrange the financing anyway
• The architectural report is negative

If you are the first candidate to bid, that does not mean that others are no longer allowed to bid for the same property. You can revoke an offer that you make or replace it with a higher or lower offer, as long as it has not been accepted by the seller and has been recorded on paper by both parties.

Step 5. Signing the agreement

If the seller has accepted the offer and conditions, the Next step is to sign the purchase agreement.
As a buying agent, everything will be checked thoroughly for you. Is the purchase amount correct? Is the delivery date stated correctly? It also contains: the resolutive conditions and the list of things that the seller leaves behind in the house. The so-called movable property. If everything is correct, both parties can sign and you will all receive a copy. Legally, a sale has arisen after signing. Together with a copy of your identification (passport or driver’s license), the selling broker sends the signed papers to the notary, who will arrange the rest of the purchase. It is important to know that if you purchase as a private person, from the moment you signed, you legally still have three days to consider (reflection period and resolutive conditions). During that period you can still cancel the purchase without giving a reason.

Step 6. Financing your home

Most people on Curacao already have a reasonable idea of ​​their spending options before making a bid. But only after signing the purchase agreement can you arrange the finances. In almost all cases, people on Curacao use a mortgage for this, whether or not combined with the contribution of their own money. On the basis of the purchase price, any renovation wishes, the costs of the buyer (registration Land Registry, transfer tax and notary fees), a recognized mortgage adviser can tell you how much the total will cost. I can also give you good advice in this regard. One bank will suit you slightly better than the other bank.
Before a bank or mortgage lender lends you money for the purchase of the home, it requires an independent appraisal. Your own broker or the sales broker may not perform this valuation because he is not independent. I can help you find a suitable appraiser.

Step 7. To the notary

While you are still recovering from an exciting period, the notary will get to work with all the papers. If a date has been agreed for the key handover and the notary has the completion deed and the mortgage deed ready, it is time for an appointment. A few days before the handover, you will receive copies of all documents so that you can check them. The bill of settlement is also included. As a purchase broker I will also guide you in this. The day you get the key looks like this. Just before the handover, we take another look at the entire house together to check that it is in the agreed condition. We also record the meter readings. Then go to the notary and sign the deed of transfer and mortgage deed. The civil-law notary then ensures that all deeds are entered in the register of the Land Registry. You are now the official owner of the house. The keys are yours. Time for a party. But even after this period I am still there for you if you have any questions.
 

Do you have any questions regarding the purchase of a home on Curacao in 7 steps? Contact me by email adriaan@sunlife.realty or WhatApp to +59996862994

You can visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to have a look at our latest listings.

Categorieën: News, real estate agent Curacao

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