Selling a house through a notary: how it works and what it costs

In Belgium, selling a house through a notary is a genuine alternative to the classic sale with an estate agent. The notary organises the sale, often through an online bidding platform, and takes care of the deed. It runs differently from what you are used to: the price is formed within a fixed time window and you usually handle the viewings yourself. Below you can read how the procedure works, what it costs and when it actually earns you money.

What the notary does in a sale

A notary is involved in every property sale in Belgium anyway. The authentic deed can only be executed by a notary, even if you work with an estate agent.

Selling through the notary means something else. In that case you also instruct the office to organise the sale itself. It draws up the advertising, places the property on its own channels and on a bidding platform, gathers the mandatory documents and guides the bids up to the preliminary sales agreement. Throughout, the notary remains a public officer and must safeguard the interests of both parties. He advises you on the legal side, but he does not negotiate on your behalf the way an estate agent does. In practice the offering differs strongly from office to office. So ask explicitly at the first meeting which tasks the notary takes on and which ones remain yours.

How the bidding procedure works

Most Belgian notaries work with Biddit, the online bidding platform of the notarial profession. Together with the notary you set a starting price and a period during which bids can be made. That period usually lasts about a week and ends at a fixed time. Anyone who wants to bid registers in advance, has their identity verified and sees all bids run live.

If a bid still comes in during the final minutes, the closing time is usually postponed automatically. That way everyone gets the chance to respond. Afterwards you are not obliged to accept the highest bid. You have a reflection period in which you decide whether the result is enough. If the bid is below what you had in mind, you can refuse and start again later at a different starting price. That makes the formula less risky than a classic public sale, where the highest bidder is in principle the buyer.

What a sale through the notary costs

Two cost items get mixed up and that often causes confusion. The fees for the deed are set by law and are in practice paid by the buyer, together with the registration duties and the deed costs. Nothing changes about that, whether you sell through an estate agent or through the notary.

On top of that there is the fee for the sales assignment itself. That one is not set by law: each office determines its own price, sometimes a percentage of the sale price, sometimes a fixed amount plus the advertising costs. As a rule that is lower than an estate agent's commission, but the comparison is only fair once you look at what is included. Always ask for a written quote listing the costs for the photos, the advertising, the bidding module and the guidance. Also count in the certificates you have to order yourself. If you want to know what an agent charges in your municipality, you can compare three agencies without obligation before you decide.

What you have to arrange yourself

A notary's office is not a sales office. The legal follow-up is in order, but the commercial work largely falls to you. You arrange the viewings yourself, you answer the questions from candidates and you make sure the property looks good in the photos.

On top of that you need a complete document file for publication: the EPC energy performance certificate, the soil certificate from OVAM (the Flemish soil agency), the town planning information, the inspection of the electrical installation, the post-intervention file and, in Flanders, the asbestos certificate for homes built before 2001. For an apartment, the documents from the building manager are added to that. If something is missing, the preliminary sales agreement is postponed. Also count on time: viewings fall in the evening and at the weekend, and not every candidate turns up. Those who work full time often underestimate that part. A realistic asking price helps most of all. With a free valuation of your home you know in advance which bracket you are in.

Notary or estate agent: when do you choose what

The notary formula works well for properties that sell themselves. Think of a sought-after location, an inheritance where several heirs want transparent price formation, or a home for which candidates are queuing up. The bidding procedure is then a price engine: interested parties see each other's bids and that drives the result up.

With a property that is harder to sell, the opposite happens. If the number of bids stays limited, that silence on the platform is itself a signal to the market. An estate agent works more discreetly, calls up his own database, adjusts the price and negotiates the suspensive conditions. That last point weighs more heavily than sellers think: a bid with a financing condition from a candidate without their bank's agreement is worth less than a lower bid that is certain. If you are in doubt, have both routes laid side by side and request three proposals from local agents. That costs you nothing and it gives you a benchmark for the notary's quote.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to go to my own notary for a sale through the notary?

You are free to choose which office gets the assignment. If the buyer brings their own notary, that costs you nothing extra: the two notaries divide the statutory fee for the deed between them. So choose the office that guides you best.

Am I obliged to accept the highest bid?

No. With a sale through an online bidding platform you have a reflection period afterwards in which you accept or refuse the highest bid. Only upon acceptance does the sales agreement come into being. With a classic public sale that works differently.

Is selling through the notary cheaper than through an estate agent?

The fee is usually lower, but you also buy fewer services. Viewings, negotiation and follow-up of candidates are down to you. Compare the quote line by line and count in the time you put into it yourself.

How long does a sale through the notary take?

The bidding period usually lasts about a week, but the preparation demands more time. Gathering the certificates quickly takes a few weeks. Between acceptance of the bid and execution of the deed, about four months usually pass in Belgium.

What you are best off doing now

Selling through the notary is neither an emergency solution nor a miracle cure. It is a formula with a lower cost and more work for yourself, and it pays off best with a property that is in demand. So do not start with the choice of channel, but with the price. Once you know what your home is worth today, you immediately see whether an estate agent's involvement pays for itself. Ask for a valuation, put your notary's quote next to three proposals from agents in your municipality and decide on figures instead of on gut feeling.