Overbidding on a house: how it works and what the market does

When you overbid, you offer an amount above the asking price set by the seller. In the Netherlands the asking price is an invitation to negotiate, not a fixed price. A seller (or selling agent) sometimes sets it slightly low on purpose to attract many viewers. With several interested buyers, prices naturally end up above it.

Overbidding is therefore not one buyer's trick. It is the result of supply and demand. If there are more buyers than homes, the price rises above asking. If there is a lot of supply, you often bid below asking. That is why you first need to know how the market in your region and segment looks.

The NVM (the largest association of estate agents in the Netherlands) publishes quarterly figures on sales by its members. According to the NVM, in Q2 2026 more than the asking price was paid for over 71% of existing homes sold. The NVM notes this share has been around 70% for two years.

For Q1 2026 the NVM reported that two thirds of homes sold above asking, on average 3.7% above the asking price. That is a national average. In a popular neighbourhood the premium can be much higher, in a quiet region zero or even negative.

The NVM analysis of Q2 2026 also shows where the differences are:

• Property type: terraced houses sold above asking in more than 80% of cases, apartments in 73%. For detached houses the majority sold below asking.
• Price range: overbidding was most common between €350,000 and €500,000 (more than three quarters of sales). Above €1 million homes sold below asking more often than above, and up to €250,000 overbidding was less common than average.

Source: NVM, Q1 2026 press release (16 April 2026) and Housing market analysis Q2 2026. Figures cover sales through NVM agents.

The NVM publishes figures per region (COROP area), not for every municipality. In Q2 2026, according to the NVM, homes in the regions Utrecht, East South Holland, Rest of Groningen and Flevoland sold above asking in more than 80% of cases. In Zeeuws-Vlaanderen it was fewer than one in three.

Within a region it can differ per municipality and even per street. To know what happens in your town, look at recent sales of comparable homes in the same area. A local agent has access to transaction data with both asking and sale price. See for example our estate agent in Utrecht or estate agent in Amsterdam.

There is no fixed percentage. Base your offer on facts, not on feeling. Three questions help:

1. What are the comparable sales? Find three to five similar homes sold in the same area in the last six months. Compare floor area, condition, energy label, outdoor space and location. Their sale price per square metre says more than this home's asking price.
2. Is the asking price realistic or a lure? If it is clearly below comparable sales, expect a sizeable premium. If it is above, overbidding makes little sense.
3. What is your own limit? What can you borrow, how much savings do you have, and what monthly payment is acceptable? Fix that limit before the viewing.

How to build your offer tactically (round numbers, conditions, timing) is covered in our article on bidding strategy when buying a house. This page is about whether and how much room there is above the asking price.

This is the key point. Your mortgage is based on the market value in the valuation report, not on the purchase price. If you offer €420,000 and the valuer sets the value at €400,000, you can in principle borrow at most €400,000. The €20,000 difference comes from your own savings, on top of the buyer's costs such as transfer tax, notary and valuation.

Valuers look at comparable sales, so in a market with lots of overbidding valuations often rise along. But that is no guarantee, especially with an exceptionally high offer or a unique property. Before bidding, calculate how much savings you can spare: that is your buffer above the expected valuation. Read more on our page about property valuation.

In a tight market sellers often ask for offers without conditions. That makes your offer more attractive but riskier. The usual conditions are:

• Financing condition: you can cancel if you cannot get the mortgage, for example due to a lower valuation.
• Structural survey condition: you can cancel if serious defects appear.
• NHG condition: relevant when buying with the National Mortgage Guarantee. The NHG limit in 2026 is €470,000 (€498,200 with energy-saving measures).

If you drop a condition and then cannot complete, the purchase contract usually imposes a penalty of 10% of the price. Only overbid without conditions if you are certain you can cover a valuation gap yourself.

The selling agent works for the seller. A buying agent works for you: retrieving and interpreting comparable sales, estimating the valuation, checking the home for defects and handling contact with the selling agent. The goal is not the highest offer but the right one: high enough to have a chance, low enough to have no regrets. Our agents also work in English, Polish and Ukrainian.