What does a buying agent do exactly?

The process starts with a free intake call. The agent gets to know you, probes your wishes, budget and timing. A good buying agent asks sharp questions: not just "how many rooms" but also "what are your plans for the next five years". Based on that a search profile is set up.

The agent actively searches for suitable properties. That goes beyond Funda: an experienced local agent has access to off-market listings via their network. Some properties sell before they go public on Funda, and that kind of opportunity is only available with a good buying agent.

You regularly receive a selection of homes matching your profile, often pre-filtered so you don't have to scroll through hundreds of unsuitable properties.

The agent comes with you on viewings or visits properties first themselves. They assess:

• Structural condition: defects, deferred maintenance, possible hidden issues
• Market value: comparing with recently sold properties in the same area
• Legal check: leasehold, owners' association situation, ongoing matters
• Investment potential: is this a home that will appreciate?

Importantly: they also point out reasons to walk away. A selling agent would never do that.

If you want to bid, the agent designs a strategy: what amount, what conditions, what pace, with or without rescission clauses. In a bidding war this is essential — a wrong bid means either a rejection or you paying far too much.

The agent then negotiates on your behalf with the selling agent. That is a different conversation than you could have yourself, because it is between two professionals who speak each other's language.

Bid accepted? Then comes the purchase contract. The agent critically checks for pitfalls: missing clauses, vague wording, unfair conditions. They arrange the reflection time, possibly a structural survey and the financing reservations.

Until the handover at the notary, the agent remains your sounding board: checking the documents that come by, planning the final inspection of the home, and being present at the key handover. Only then is their work done.