Selling a house urgently in Antwerp and the surrounding area

A sale usually becomes urgent because of what happens around the property: heirs who want to settle the estate, a separation, a move to a care home, financial pressure or a home that has been empty for months. In all these cases, certainty about the date often matters more than the last few thousand euros.

In the city of Antwerp, vacancy adds to the pressure. The city keeps a register of vacant homes and buildings. A home that has not been used as a dwelling for at least 12 consecutive months can be added to it, and properties on the register are subject to an annual tax. If an inherited or abandoned home has been empty for a long time, that is a reason not to wait.

A fast sale rarely stalls only on finding a buyer. The time often goes into the mandatory documents. To sell a home in Flanders you need, among other things, an EPC, an inspection report of the electrical installation, a soil certificate, a planning extract and the flood-risk information.

If the building dates from before 2001, you also need a valid asbestos certificate. It must be given to the buyer no later than the signing of the sale agreement; without it, the buyer can have the sale annulled. The planning extract may be no older than one year at the time of sale and is requested through the Flemish property information platform (Vastgoedinformatieplatform), your municipality or your notary.

Through an estate agent with a sharp asking price: you reach many buyers, but the timing depends on viewings, mortgage applications and conditions precedent. Through an online public sale run by a notary: the sale date is fixed sooner, but the price depends on the bids at that moment. Through a direct sale to a buyer such as Pandpartners.be: you know the price and choose the deed date together, in exchange for a price that reflects the condition of the property.

The right route depends on your deadline, the condition of the home and whether there are contents to clear. For a home that needs clearing or renovation, the balance often tips towards certainty.

Merksem, Deurne, Wilrijk, Berchem, Borgerhout, Ekeren and Hoboken have many older terraced houses and apartments, where the asbestos certificate and the EPC often come up. The district pages below list the local points of attention.

Want to clear the home yourself first? The city’s recycling parks are only open to Antwerp residents, with their own identity card and by appointment (except on Wednesdays). Quantity limits apply too, such as a maximum of 2 cubic metres of bulky waste per week. Heirs who live outside the city therefore cannot simply use them.

In Wijnegem, Edegem, Brasschaat, Kontich, Mortsel, Schoten, Zwijndrecht, Kapellen, Wommelgem and Boechout, the same Flemish rules on certificates apply. What differs are the local rules: planning regulations, any vacancy rules and access to the recycling park. Ask your municipality or use the property information platform.

After your request we schedule a visit. Within 24 hours you receive a written offer, without obligation. If you accept, you set the deed date with the notary. The contents can stay; if we handle the clearance, that cost is shown separately in the offer.

Payment goes through the notary at the deed. If there are several owners or heirs, they sign together and each receives their share through the notary.