What does it mean if a home is under offer?
Under offer (onder bod) means that the seller and the buyer are negotiating over a serious offer. At most there is a verbal agreement, so the sale is not yet final. A verbal agreement sounds certain, but legally it is not. This is because the purchase of a home is subject to the written-form requirement. Under that rule, a purchase only becomes binding once both parties have signed a document.
So an offer via WhatsApp or email does not count yet. As a result, the purchase agreement remains the real turning point, not the status shown with the home. That has an important consequence for you as a first-time buyer. As long as nothing has been signed, the seller may still accept a higher offer. So the outcome is still open, and that is your chance.
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What is the difference between 'under offer', 'under option' and 'sold subject to conditions'?
The difference lies in how far along the sale is. With a home under offer, the negotiations are still ongoing. With a home under option (onder optie), the home is reserved for a short time. With a home sold subject to conditions (verkocht onder voorbehoud), the purchase has provisionally been agreed, but still depends on conditions.
In this table, you can look up the status you see. Then you know straight away whether you can still bid.
Status | What it means | Can you still bid? | Can it go back on the market? |
|---|---|---|---|
Under offer | A serious offer has been made, negotiations are still ongoing | Usually yes, unless stated otherwise | Yes |
Under option | Reserved for one party for a short time, mainly with new-build homes | Not during the option period | Yes, if the option expires without a signature |
Sold subject to conditions | Purchase agreement signed, still depends on conditions | Usually not, sometimes as a backup bidder | Yes, if a condition is not met |
These are the two statuses alongside under offer:
- What does 'under option' mean?
- What does 'sold subject to conditions' mean?
What does 'under option' mean?
Under option means that the home is temporarily reserved for one interested party. You come across this status almost exclusively with new-build homes. During the option period, no one else may buy the home. That period gives the buyer time to check their financing. If they sign within that period, the sale goes ahead. If the option period expires without a signature, the home becomes available again.
What does 'sold subject to conditions' mean?
Sold subject to conditions means that the sale has provisionally been agreed. The purchase agreement has been signed, but the purchase still depends on resolutive conditions (ontbindende voorwaarden). These are arrangements that can undo the purchase. Think of a financing condition (voorbehoud van financiering) or a structural survey.
With a financing condition, the buyer gets time to arrange their mortgage. That period is often six to eight weeks. If that does not work out, the purchase can still be cancelled. The same applies if the survey brings major defects to light. The home then comes back onto the market, and that is your moment.
Can you still bid on a home that is under offer?
Yes, you can usually still bid on a home that is under offer. You can do so as long as the purchase agreement has not been signed by both parties. In practice, first-time buyers are too quick to write off a home that is under offer. At that stage, the sale has not been finalised at all.
You make your interest known in a few steps:
- Call or email the selling agent to say that you still want to make an offer.
- Ask the agent whether a viewing is still possible.
- Make a serious offer, with your financing already mapped out.
Your chance is smaller than with a home that is freely available, though. But as long as nothing has been signed, that chance is not zero. A well-substantiated offer helps here. In our article on bidding on a house, you can read how much to bid.
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What happens if the purchase of a home that is under offer falls through?
If the purchase falls through, the home comes back onto the market. If you are already registered as an interested party, you will quickly come into the picture as a backup bidder. A backup bidder keeps their offer in reserve in case the first purchase falls through. For you as a first-time buyer, too, that can be the route to your first home.
A purchase falls through for a few reasons. Sometimes the buyer cannot arrange their financing, or invokes a resolutive condition. Sometimes nothing is signed in time. In all those cases, the first buyer drops out and an opening arises.
Being a backup bidder makes sense for a home you really want. That is especially true if the first purchase still depends on a condition. It makes less sense if the purchase agreement has been signed and all the conditions have been met. Then there is little chance that the purchase will still fall through.
How does homeup help you if your dream home is already under offer?
homeup helps you in two ways if you always seem to be too late. You choose exclusive homes at a fixed price, without joining in the bidding. Or you have a buying agent determine a bidding strategy on your behalf on the open market. That way you are not tied to homes that are already under offer.
This is what you get with homeup:
- In the exclusive listings you will find homes with a fixed price, without overbidding. These are not on Funda. Our guidance then costs €5,999.
- On the open market, our purchase guidance researches the market value and bids on your behalf. That guidance costs €2,999.
- You only pay at the key handover, with both services.
- Buyers at homeup buy a home three months faster on average.
In both cases, it helps if your financing is in place before you start searching. All buyers on the homeup platform are financially screened in advance. With a mortgage certificate, you know in advance how much you can borrow. This means you can act immediately if a home that was under offer comes back after all. Schedule a free consultation if you want to know what suits you.
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