Testimonials
Read what our clients say about us
We had an amazing experience with Jaap even though he was representing a seller. He acted in everyones interests, he is very fast and listens carefully to your needs. Jaap is so well connected, he will advice you about anything you need, from the inspecting the apartment to a good renovation team if you need. Advisors from our side were saying "don't trust an agent from the seller side" but they were very wrong. You can really trust Jaap, he did an impossible work to get both sides a really good deal so everyone is happy. We feel lucky that he was taking care of the deal. Definitely very professional and personalized approached so highly recommending his services and this agency.
Alla & Oleg
Preparing for purchasing a property in a country which is not your home is a big, even overwhelming effort, with lots of complexity ranging from the small details in the fineprints of contracts to the negotiation on the purchase. With energy, professionalism, preparation, and an acute sense of humor, Jaap has taken the bulk of the complexity out of this process and made it way smoother. Jaap is able to wear many different hats: he is a skilled and tough negotiator, he is a helpful source of information about the vibes of the neighborhood, he has high standards for safety and style of the apartments he recommends, he is able to push past administrative hurdles to get the job done and has a network of equally bar-raising professionals in the areas of internal design, refurbishment and much more. Not often you come across somebody who is great at their job but does it in a fun, unassuming way, and Jaap belongs to that category. I look forward to doing business with him in the future.
Davide Tararbra
As two expats already living in Amsterdam for 6 years, we were not sure whether the services offered by Jaap and Amsterdam House Hunting were necessary for us. However working with Jaap proved invaluable in such a competitive market! Jaap's key differentiators include:
- His insight on property value and what is a reasonable price to pay in Amsterdam to secure a property (without overpaying in such a hot market)
- His solid understanding of building construction in Amsterdam and when something requires a small fix vs. significant renovation. Also ideas he brings to the table to add future value to a property were helpful
- His network (which is second to none!) Everybody in Amsterdam seems to know and like Jaap and this is a great advantage when it comes negotiating on a property
Jaap's casual and down-to-earth approach is very nice to work with. At the same time, once we identified properties that ticked our boxes Jaap is very quick to start and conclude on the negotiation. Overall we found Jaap to be a very trustworthy and fair professional - we highly recommend working with Jaap and would gladly use his services again!
Tom and Rhiannon
We had no clue where to start with our Amsterdam house hunt until Jaap came along. He was smart, funny and very clued up about the market. He encouraged us to look in new areas and be honest about what we wanted. He took care of the whole process from talking to Agents and sellers to organising the Notary. We're now six months in to our new home and couldn't be happier. Cheers Jaap!
Gareth and Shaun
Everything went smooth and easy by working with Jaap. He quickly understood our needs and limitation, and provided appropriate services. He definitely know what he’s doing and how things work. He is well connected and can link you with any kind of extra help you need. Most important of all, dealing with him was a pleasant experience, as opposed to the all other real estate agents I’ve met before.
Andi Stancu
Buying a house in a foreign country can be quite stressful...but not if you have Jaap by your side! Jaap is a true professional and has an extensive knowledge about real-estate in general, and the dutch market specifically; not only that, but Jaap is also honest and fair which is very important when dealing with one of the biggest purchases in life, and on top of all that a great and funny personality which makes the whole process easier and even fun at times:) Thank you Jaap for getting us our house; now - Home!
Dana and Yoav
If you are serious about finding the perfect house in Amsterdam, having fun while you do it, and getting the best deal, you cannot find a better partner than Jaap. Moving house is frustrating and scary - we felt very lucky to find someone who could skillfully navigate the market, manage expat procedures, and get the deal done. We felt like old friends, not new customers.
Paul Midgen
Jaap was helpful, honest and supportive through the searching and purchasing process. His extensive knowledge of the property market here in Amsterdam was indispensible to us. Very friendly with a great sense of humour, he's exactly the kind of makelaar that you want on your side. Even after everything was wrapped up and we were moved in Jaap promptly followed up issues regarding undisclosed repairs that were discovered after purchase which resulted in the problem being resolved reasonably. I would happilly recommend Jaap to any of my friends or colleagues.
Jonny & Mariana
Jaap does an excellent job with finding the house that you need, taking into the account all your multiple requirements. He advises on the neighbourhood, the quality of the building, the quality of the apartment itself, noticing little details that I wouldn't pay attention to. Due to his negotiation skills, I was able to buy an apartment for a reasonable price, given that the market was overheated. He works with a good notarius, well known in Amsterdam, which is also important. Last, but not the least, after signing the deed of delivery, he recommended me a trustworthy service for the flat renovation - which is very important, it is really difficult to find reliable workers in the market. Thank you, Jaap, for always being friendly and professional!
Liza
As two expats looking for their first home in Amsterdam, having Jaap on call proved priceless. His attentiveness, communication, honesty and advice throughout the entire process was integral to finding our dream home. Jaaps' extensive knowledge of the market place and relationships with key people in it really proved the difference.
Not only a great real estate agent, Jaap is a great personality to be around. We thoroughly recommend working with him.
Jack & Fran
Very nice service, friendly and professional.
No Pa He
Jaap is very supportive through all the stages of house purchase including finding, negotiation, inspection and many many more. I certainly recommend his service especially for expats who have very limited information about this complicated process.
Damon Rafieian
Jaap was an absolute pleasure to work with and by far the best makelaar you'll ever find! No exaggeration at all.
He is experienced, friendly, and an excellent negotiator. I went from "this house is completely out of my range" to Jaap saying, "you got the house!" ...and with savings.
Could not have asked for a better experience. Thank you, Jaap.
Derek Müller
Jaap is super knowledgable about the housing market in Amsterdam and helped secure my flat at a good price and with minimal effort from my side. Friendly, professional, funny...a real pleasure to work with. Thanks Jaap!
Harrison LP
I highly recommend Jaap to anyone considering property ownership. Jaap provided hands on support throughout the entire buying process and was my trusted advisor in all property related topics from price negotiation to finding the best vendors to help me designing and install a new kitchen for my home (and everything in between). At every point, Jaap was professional, responsive and reliable.
Along with his excellent skills and network in the property market (everyone know of and spoke very highly of Jaap) his way of working was one of his points of difference. Jaap is genuine, trustworthy, listens to clients and puts fun into the process. I highly recommend Jaap to anyone purchasing property and already have referred a number of my friends.
Katharine Stanley
A true professional !!!! As you can see from the feedback below there is nothing that is left unsaid about this guy. If you are searching for a great home, Jaap is definitely your guy. My best recommendations !!!
Mihai Dragomirescu
If I'll ever buy again I'd only do so with Jaap and Amsterdam House Hunting. Through his personal network and experience Jaap was able to find and secure me an apartment that was beyond everything I ever expected in Amsterdam. It was my first buy and his professionalism and personality helped me through all the stressful times and made me feel comfortable with the decision. He showed a lot of patience with me and always listened to my concerns and freak out moments with the utmost patience and respect.
I highly recommend to work with Jaap!
Laura Schacht
Ruben van der Woude helped us finding and buying our dream apartment in Amsterdam. Ruben assisted us on quite some viewings of properties. He always gave us his honest and professional advice about those places, including a time when he adviced us strongly not to proceed. This turned out to be great advice, since we found our dream apartment in the end, that was way better than the ones we had viewed before! We truly could not have purchased the property without the expertise of Ruben. Would highly recommend! Thanks again Ruben van der Woude and team Amsterdam House Hunting.
Adrienne & David
Highly recommend Ruben for his knowledge, responsiveness and dedication to making sure his customers end up happy. We really felt lucky to have someone so good at the game (and it is a game!) on our side.
Expat couple from New-Zealand
I am very lucky that I had Jaap during my adventure of a buying a house in Amsterdam! I recommend Jaap fully, I appreciated the experience, the advice, the guidance and the nice contact we had and of course the humour in the stressful moments!
Stefania Petr
We were referred to "Amsterdam House Hunting" by a friend with the words, "Don't bother with the other agents, contact them and forget about your worries". We were skeptical before the first meeting but afterwards a huge burden was lifted from our shoulders. Ruben van der Woude guided us step by step through the whole process, made sure that the house we select was of highest quality and made the bidding war the easiest step of the process"
Always approachable, quick to respond and patient with the explanations. Finally a process of house hunting which for some of our friends took 6 months to a year with many lost bids, was converted to a success on the 2nd bid.
The most important part was the confidence he brought on the table that everything will work out and we get the best deal. And it happened like that, I can say it was magic.
Ruben thank you a lot for the great effort and help you were amazing.
Dimitar
Ruben helped us immensely. When we decided to sell our house in the Netherlands, he was the one giving us precise and effective guidance regarding every step in the process. Ruben was not only a very effective real estate broker guiding us step by step across the way, but brought also a lot of fresh energy, optimism, composure, and speed to the process. We loved his sense of humour, which was a great remedy reducing our stress. Thank you Ruben
Beata & Cezary
I had a great experience working with Jaap to find my perfect home in Amsterdam. He understood exactly what I wanted, was very responsive, had great input and always brought a positive attitude to our meetings. If you are looking for a buyer's agent, I would highly recommend Jaap.
Jessica du Preez
Dear Jaap,
The best thing that happened to us is the house that we were able to buy thanks to your professional approach in the bidding process. Jaap provided us with all the important information, including a very good mortgage advisor. We had been looking for years and the housing market seemed to make it impossible to get a house that met our requirements. Jaap Russchen was recommended to us by an expat friend. He strongly advised us to contact Jaap. From the first contact it was clear that Jaap will not be fooled by anyone or anything. Total tranquility is what he radiates and conveys. Even the most tense moments were very self-assured by Jaap and always calmed down with a good sense of humor. Jaap made it happen for us. What a fantastic house and what a wonderful place to live. We are eternally grateful to Jaap. Do not let them fool you; Jaap is really the best!
Keep up the wonderful work Jaap!
You can really make people's dreams come true!
Maurice Rentinck
As an expat you quite easily understand the value of buying a property in Amsterdam but considering the process to go about is not so easy to understand for an outsider, you need support from a Makelaar who understands your preferences but can give the right guidance and advice every step of the way. The minute I met Jaap and Jana I felt truly comfortable and assured that they understood all my requirements and were willing to go the extra mile to support me through the journey both as my makelaars and now my friends.
Khushboo