“Finding their dream home in Vught: A Buying Without Watching success story”

Still ended up in Vught

Quirine had one wish during the participation that she did not want to deviate from: namely to live in Vught. After the concession talk with Alex, she had lost hope a bit. “I was constantly hearing Alex about outbidding in the hysterical housing market. Actually, I had expected that we would end up in Den Dungen. When we went to live in Vught, I really got emotional for a moment,” says Quirine.

For Hein, the realization that they were going to live in Vught already came when he was blindfolded in the car. “I heard the bells of a railway crossing in the car. Then I thought: we are in Vught! I knew that because the surrounding villages have no level crossing at all,” he says with a laugh.

Not a 1930s home

Quirine also looks back on her wish to live in a 1930s home. She still loves these types of homes, but realizes that they have been given a lot of space in their current home. “Friends of ours who live in a 1930s house come to us and are amazed by all that space. That was an extra confirmation that we are really in the right place here,” says Quirine. Participation in the program taught her that the amount of space is more important to her than the architectural style.

So much space!

This couple was also called in the episode by Bob, who needed € 20,000 extra budget to realize a dream home for the couple. Hein and Quirine decided to agree to his proposal and that has given them a lot of extra space. Looking back now, that choice was worth every penny. “When Bob calls, always try to say yes. The extension is so fantastic, the house seems twice as big!” Hein says with satisfaction. Quirine thought that the stairs took up too much space for the renovation. “At first you almost tripped over it. Now that we have fifteen square meters extra, you don’t even notice those stairs anymore”.

The couple will not have to change anything on the ground floor in the coming years. Bob couldn’t do much about the top floor. But for now they are satisfied with the whole house. Hein does indicate that they would like to expand their family with another child. In the future, they may therefore want to build a dormer window. There can then be an extra bedroom or bathroom for the children. “We have to save for a build-up anyway, after we have given all our money to Bob,” jokes Hein.

Quiet environment for a new phase of life

Although they received the key to their house in November, the couple moved to Vught in July to get used to it. They moved in with Quirine’s parents. There they noticed that life in Vught is a lot less hectic than in Amsterdam. Quirine missed the lively city a bit after giving birth to their son. In Amsterdam everything and everyone was close by. “You could quickly get a coffee or invite friends to visit.” Fortunately, the couple also has friends and family living nearby and more and more friends are moving south.

Immediately felt like home

In November 2022, Hein and Quirine received the key to their new home and immediately moved in. When the couple first walked into the refurbished house, it immediately felt like home. The interior is a real match and they saw their mood boards come to life in the house. “There was nothing that made me think: oh god, this doesn’t suit us at all,” says Quirine.

Of course, the sociable people from Brabant immediately invited their family and friends to come and watch the first evening. The guests were just as enthusiastic about the house as Hein and Quirine. “It was really nice, everyone sat around the table as if it had been our house for years,” says Hein about the housewarming.

Kudos to Rose

The couple has only made one adjustment in the living room. The second day they put the couches that were separate next to each other. This way they can sit comfortably next to each other. The couple thought Roos’s interior looked beautiful, but it was too uncomfortable to sit so far from each other. In addition, they have added some small things, such as a stainless steel back wall near the stove and some decorations.

Quirine really enjoys the family table in the house. It has become her favorite spot and she sees it as the heart of the house. Hein absolutely loves the kitchen. “I like cooking and wine. That really comes together in this house with that wine cooler.” In addition, he is very happy with all the work and storage space that the large kitchen entails.

Many thanks to the team

“Without the Buying without Watching team, we probably would have given up on the search out of frustration,” says Hein. Quirine agrees. “We had an extra room in the apartment. I think we eventually convinced ourselves that it was not necessary to move and that we were fine here.” Particularly as starters, it was a good choice to participate in the program. “You are new to the market and everything is very stressful”.

The KZK team listened carefully to their wishes and thus made their home ‘future-proof’, explains Hein. All in all, participation has relieved a lot of stress and tension. The couple had a lot of confidence in the team and that turned out to be completely justified!

How are Hein and Quirine doing now?

Quirine is currently still on maternity leave, but still works in Amsterdam. She says that she has agreed with her employer that she will come to the office two days a week and work from home the rest of the week. “From Vught it is very easy to travel to work by train. That was certainly one of the reasons why I would like to live in Vught”, says Quirine with a smile on her face. Hein has a satellite office in Naarden. That doesn’t make much difference in the distance, but he is especially happy that he no longer has to park on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam.

The first months in their new home went well, but were also very hectic. “With the arrival of our son so soon after the move, we were a bit more homebound. That made it nice that we were in this house with all that space!” They also really enjoy the nature in the area and often go for walks in the forest, where they can relax completely.