I'm an American who signed a yearlong lease in the Netherlands, sight unseen

After living as digital nomads for nearly two years, my hubby and I decided to move from the US to the Netherlands.

We'd visited multiple times and cut in affection alongside the walkability and bicycle culture. Plus, I have a association to the country, since my great-grandparents were Dutch.

With the assistance of a real-estate agent, we found an flat remotely from the US, signing a yearlong lease in the city of Utrecht before always environment ft in the home.

We encountered several surprises during looking for an apartment

Since the procedure of finding an flat abroad can frequently obtain months, we chose to hunt remotely from the US. To create things easier, we hired a Dutch real-estate delegate alongside local connections who could perspective apartments for us in person.

The prep activity was much additional serious than I was used to. In the US, I've leased apartments in three distinct states, and the degree of the use typically included filling out a essential form and sometimes completing a backdrop check.

That wasn't going to cut it in the Netherlands.

Our delegate gave us a lengthy catalog of materials to prepare, from 12 months of financial institution statements and links to our LinkedIn profiles, to a "get to cognize us" letter, which included our hobbies and photos of us. Then she went looking.

Rentals frequently get snatched up inside a few hours or days, so my hubby and I were regularly waking up at 4 a.m. in Colorado to peruse our agent's emails concerning the new listings all day.

When we eventually established one that checked all our boxes, we asked her to agenda a walkthrough. Luckily, she recorded a video for us to review, so we didn't need to awaken up first for this part of the process.

It was during the walkthrough, however, that we learned Dutch flat listings aren't as detailed as the ones we were used to in the US. When our delegate arrived, we discovered the listing had omitted multiple crucial pieces of information.

For example, there was a completely fenced-in rear garden, complete alongside a shed, outing table, and blackberry and rosy bushes. The galley had a dishwasher. And there was a washing device hidden distant rearward a cupboard entrance — and a dryer (which is not as average in Europe).

Score, right? So we jumped at the opportunity, put in our bid, and jumped for joy whenever our recommendation was accepted.

Despite a few setbacks, we cut in affection alongside our apartment

We arrived in the Netherlands a few weeks later, traveling immediately from the airfield to our rental. When we unlocked the entrance for the archetypal time, expecting we'd autumn in affection alongside our new home, it was … freezing.

Turns out, the warmth had stopped working, and the rental business couldn't dispatch person to fix it until the next day. So, we spent our archetypal night in the Netherlands at a hotel.

Thankfully, the warmth was fixed the following day, and afterward we could commencement unpacking. This is whenever we began to notice several of the additional nuanced differences of a Dutch home compared to an American one.

The archetypal item to get used to? The alarmingly steep stairs (a hallmark of skinny, lofty Dutch houses) which made moving furnishings up to our second-floor agency awareness akin a Herculean feat.

We additionally learned to obtain moths and gnats as houseguests, since Dutch windows don't typically have screens. However, alongside no air conditioning and a 100-year-old home that was built to keep heat, we certainly desire to keep those windows open.

Overall, apart from a few stowaway insects and several hot days, we've been extremely fortunate alongside our rental. I particularly affection the neighborhood and how we can stroll to a market store, bakery, or park inside five minutes.

The biggest lessons have arrive from being part of a Dutch neighborhood

Although finding our rental was a whirlwind process, I've established the most engaging parts of living current have arrive from the cultural differences between American and Dutch neighborhoods.

For example, shortly following arriving, our neighbor welcomed us to the neighborhood WhatsApp group. If you need to get a drill or endure your cat, you dispatch a communication to the group.

It's extremely active, and joining the collection helped me awareness akin I was part of a community before knowing anyone here. Although I've heard of akin groups in the US, I've never been welcomed to associate one.

Ordering packages is additionally extremely different. Back in the States, packages would be remaining by my door. In the Netherlands, however, they aren't remaining unattended.

Instead, the shipment controller volition commencement chiming the neighbors' doorbells until person is home. Then, they'll depart a digital note concerning which home has your package.

One location I didn't anticipate to awareness specified a difference is the sidewalk. On sunny days, my Dutch neighbors bring out their dining area chairs, park them on the bricks exterior their forefront door, and bask a chilly drink. Sometimes, it'll awareness akin an impromptu obstacle gathering — and I couldn't be happier to associate in the festivities.

After leasing an flat throughout the world, perspective unseen, would I do it again? I certain would — particularly if I could employ a real-estate delegate to inspect out the residence in person.

The quirks of our flat and neighborhood are all part of the cognition of living abroad, and although I may not have expected them, I've now grown attached to these traditional differences.