Hi everyone,
I’m in the process of buying my first property in Flandersand would love to get some outside perspectives on how others would approach this project.
🏡 The property • Location: (East Flanders) • Type: BEN new-build (heat pump, floor heating, good EPC A) • Final agreed price (incl. VAT & registration): ~€518,000 • Breakdown: • Land: ~€81k + 12% registration • Construction: ~€353k + 21% VAT • Compromis is being finalized, notary review is clean so far (no zoning, flood or soil issues).
💰 My situation
Wife and I are 32. Two kids.
Own funds I can mobilize: • €100k cash • €65k in ETFs (liquid, long-term portfolio) • €8k in BTC • €8k in my wife’s pension (want to liquidate it as it is a shitty ivestment be liquidated with penalty) • €9k in P2P lending (last loan matures May 2026)
👉 Total theoretical max: ~€190k, but I’m targeting ~€165k actual equity to keep a safety buffer.
🏦 Mortgage plan • Loan needed: ~€350k • Term: 25 years, fixed • Target monthly payment: ~€1,700 • Target all-in yearly cost: max 3.3% (incl. insurance impact) • Actively shopping mortgages directly with banks (BNP, Crelan, VDK, KBC, Keytrade), no broker.
Questions I’d love input on 1. Would you liquidate ETFs / BTC / pension in this situation, or keep more invested and borrow slightly more? 2. Is targeting ~68–70% LTV optimal here, or would you push lower/higher? Will this help lowering the interest rate when it comes to negotiation and if so, by how much? 3. Any red flags you generally see with new-builds that buyers underestimate (even when docs look clean)? 4. From a FIRE / PF perspective: would you prioritize • lower mortgage • more liquidity • or keeping investments untouched? 5. Anything you’d do very differently in my shoes?
Not looking for “buy vs rent” debates — more interested in financing strategy, risk management, and optimization.
Happy to clarify anything. Curious how others would play this.
Thanks
Did you already sign? Watch out with the indexeringsclausule. We were told it's standard practice. Signed, war in Ukraine hits, inflation hits 15%, we suddenly had to cough up an extra 40 000 out of thin air due to indexering of the construction.
Our neighbors were smart as hell and negotiated to put a hard cap of 15 000 in their indexeringsclausule before they signed
The house is already complete but thanks for the warning!
3.3 % inc insurances at 25years? Not sure that’s possible in today’s market.
Even with ~30% down?
Got 3,23% today with 170k down. Score A+, second crédit and got more asset than the amount credited.
Rates are skyrocketing this week to 3,8%.
Be careful, do a simulation right away before signing anything. One day later I would've been fucked.
Appreciate for sharing it! May I ask which bank?
Crelan
Got 2.82 % for 20y 3 weeks ago after lots of bankshopping. Only loaning 40% though. Adding the ssv and insurance puts it at around 3.3%
Very low! Lowest offer I got was 3.1%. Borrowing only 30% of the property cost, though I might be higher risk as a single buyer.
Literally all banks told me, went for a loan last week and they said to wait
It is the classic balancing act between your initial costs, loan, recurring costs, and eventual return on your investment. I actually just made a short video on the different building blocks that are to be considered when going for a real estate investment. It shows my tool (SimuVista Real Estate Planner) which allows you to simulate different scenarios for your own situation. So you can see how changes in loan, own contribution or recurring costs affect your returns. I feel that you already have a quite good view on what you want, but it could be useful as a visual guide in determining the optimal strategy in your case. Let me know if you would be interested. Anyway, best of luck with your new property!
I am definitely interested! Please dm me
Wait for January, they will all lower rente. Also you should be able to go far under 3%
What makes you think that banks will lower the rates? Far under 3%? Would be awesome but I don’t think its realistic.
How do you know about these intrest rates.