Online or local estate agent: which fits you?

An online agent works mostly digitally: you fill in the details, upload photos or pay for a photographer, and the online agent lists your home on Funda and handles bids. You often do viewings yourself. Fees are typically fixed: between €795 and €1,495 for a sales package.

Known names: Makelaarsland, MijnVerkoopmakelaar, Verkoophuis, Sellr. Some buying variants exist too, though they are less successful because buying support is inherently a personal service.

Pros:

• Low fixed fee regardless of sale price
• Good price if the home "sells itself" (tight segment, desirable location)
• Everything in one digital place

Cons:

• You often handle viewings and first conversations with buyers yourself
• No local market knowledge: an algorithm often sets the asking price, not an agent who knows the street
• No active negotiation — buyer offers, you accept or not, little push for a higher price
• No network of potential buyers (Funda only)
• For problems (buyer questions, viewing complaints): often a call centre, no dedicated contact

An online agent is a fine choice if:

• Your home is in a desirable segment and sells itself (e.g. apartment in central Amsterdam)
• You are comfortable with viewings and negotiating yourself
• Your home is fairly standard (no leasehold, no complications)
• You have time and patience to walk through the process

In other situations — especially more expensive homes, complex properties, or urgency — a local agent often nets more.

A local agent like Ons Soort Makelaars is wiser if:

• Your home is not standard: leasehold, monument, splitting, shared wall
• The property price is above about €400,000 (gap between 1.2% commission and €1,000 fixed fee shrinks, but negotiating power weighs heavily)
• You have no time or inclination for Saturday morning viewings
• You want to extract maximum value through professional negotiation
• You want to tap a specific network (off-market, international buyers, etc.)

Research shows homes via local agents sell for an average 5-10 percent higher. On €400,000 that is €20,000 to €40,000 — more than enough to earn back the €5,000 extra commission.

Some sellers try a hybrid: first themselves on Funda via an online platform, and if no success after a few weeks engage a local agent. That can work, but be careful: a home listed for months is distrusted by buyers. Sometimes better to start with a local agent from day one.

Ons Soort Makelaars works with transparent fees and no long contracts. If you want to switch halfway, you can do so without penalty.