Meet our team: Isabelle Band – Certified Expat Broker

Meet Isabelle Band, our Certified Expat Broker in Amsterdam! What does a Certified Expat Broker do exactly? And how do the offices in Amsterdam, Haarlem en Heemstede-Aerdenhout work together?

Isabelle, you are a Certified Expat Broker, what does this mean?

‘Everyone looking for a house or planning to sell a house is welcome at our office, but my specialty lies with helping internationals. People from all over the world who come to work in Amsterdam, are looking to find a nice place to live but don’t have a network (yet) and are not familiar with the area. We offer this group extra support and additional service. Our office is certified, meaning that we are experts in this specific market.’

‘At the beginning of the century the housing market was overwhelmed by internationals due to our good economy. Amsterdam is a pleasant city for these people: relaxed, well-structured, people are open, everyone speaks English. I soon noticed this development and joined a club within the Amsterdam Broker Association (Makelaars Vereniging Amsterdam) which focuses on this particular group. This was before I helped establish the Amsterdam office of Mooijekind Vleut early 2015.’

‘Internationals are nice people to work with. They know what they’re looking for. Often they’re more demanding than the average Dutch buyer. Usually they’re in more of a rush and need to take decisions quickly and from abroad. This keeps you alert: flexible agenda, devoting all our attention and offering the best service. This is very rewarding, personally but also for the office.’

‘But it goes without saying that our Dutch customers are just as much entitled to the best service.’

And how do you work together with the Haarlem and Heemstede office?

‘There is a close interaction with both the Haarlem and Heemstede office. When people living in Amsterdam want to leave the city, they contact my colleagues at those offices. We will inform them on the value of their property in Amsterdam. We’ll have a file ready and as soon as they’re ready to sell their house in Amsterdam, we’ll be at their disposal. And vice versa: every so often people want to return to the city once the kids leave the house. Together we’ll find a nice city apartment in Amsterdam.’

What does a typical day look like for you?

‘The start of the day is my favourite moment: checking the new housing listings! Will there be something for our clients? Often I’ll have appointments at 9:00 AM. Some days I’m rushing from purchase viewing to selling viewing. And some days I spend more time at the office, working on tenders or valuation reports or checking texts… Every day is different which makes this job so much fun!’

‘Earlier this month I visited the ‘I am not a tourist Expat Fair’ in the Beurs van Berlage. A great way to get to know new people. I am also a member of a recently founded committee intending to advise the municipality of Amsterdam on concerns we have regarding the expat housing market, such as the low housing supply, high rents and education for expat kids. And I am currently busy working on selling apartments for the housing corporation De Key. A great housing corporation, a pleasure to work for.’

What are your ambitions for the future?

‘We have an exciting time ahead of us! With Menno Mönch joining us as a new partner, we will be focusing a bit more on new developments. This will help boost the housing listings we want to offer our clients.’

Where do you live?

‘Together with my husband and three daughters (10, 12 and 14 years) we have lived in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel for 9 years now. The house by the water was an amazing opportunity. We had it renovated (my husband is a contractor) and we love living there. And it’s close to Amsterdam, where I lived for years and now work. Amsterdam is such a great city! The architecture, the atmosphere, the people. Even though it’s more crowded now, it’s still beautiful. Every day.’

What do you recommend expats who are looking for a house?

‘Invest time and energy in viewings. Finding a nice place usually doesn’t happen overnight: you’ll be rewarded for a little extra patience. And I also recommend looking beyond the popular areas like De Pijp, Amsterdam Zuid and the Jordaan. It’s good to see more and more people moving to the surrounding upcoming neighbourhoods. However, this also applies to the regular home searcher.’

Contact details Isabelle: 06 12 61 04 90 / Isabelle@mooijekindvleut.nl