I was living as an expat in the Netherlands for 2 years when I made the decision to buy a house due to a change in my personal circumstances. I was renting a small appartment but soon required a larger appartment when my girlfriend expected our first child. I first looked into renting a larger appartment but this was not feasible. The waiting lists for affordable social renting housing was too long, and the costs for renting larger properties through private agencies almost criminal. But I was worried that buying a house would be a stressfull process in a new counrty.