Bidding log and offers: how to keep buyers informed.

Tuesday 10:12. A buyer emails his offer. After that he checks his email every hour.
On Wednesday he calls. At that moment you are standing in a living room with viewers.

You first have to discuss the offer with the seller. The seller is away until Thursday.

He wants to know where he stands. You want to do right by your seller.

What your buyer experiences

For your buyer this may be the biggest purchase of his life. Every hour without an answer feels like a chance slipping away. He does not know whether his offer has arrived. Or when he will hear something.

What the rules ask of you

1. The bidding log. Since 1 January 2023, members of NVM, VBO and Vastgoedpro have worked with a bidding log (biedlogboek). In it you record every offer. With the amount, the moment and any reservations (voorbehouden).
2. Access afterwards. Anyone who made an offer can view the bidding log once the cooling-off period has ended and any resolutive conditions (ontbindende voorwaarden), such as a financing condition, have lapsed. The bidding log is anonymised. The content of reservations and personal messages stays hidden.
3. Not yet a law. The bidding log is currently self-regulation by the trade associations. On 1 October 2026 the minister announced a mandatory register for estate agents. With statutory rules of conduct, such as treating interested parties equally, and a uniform bidding log. She will inform parliament further in early 2027.
4. No fixed deadline. There is no rule on how quickly you respond to an offer.
5. Only signed means sold. If a private individual buys a home, the purchase must be in writing. Once they have received the signed contract, they have three days to change their mind.

What you run into

You work for the seller. You discuss every offer with them first. That takes time. Meanwhile you are at viewings. A buyer who calls gets your voicemail. He calls again. And with the next bidder it starts all over.

Offers come in by phone, WhatsApp and email. Sometimes on a colleague’s phone. Afterwards every offer still has to go into the bidding log.

How to keep buyers informed

1. Ask for offers in writing. Then the amount, reservations and moment are recorded straight away.
2. Confirm every offer straight away. “Your offer has arrived.”
3. Name a moment. “We will discuss it with the seller on Thursday. You will hear from us before 12 noon on Friday.”
4. Keep to that moment. Even if there is no decision yet. Then let them know when there will be.
5. Let offers arrive in one place. A place your whole office can see. Then a colleague can reply while you are at a viewing.

It can work like this

Tuesday 10:12. Your buyer messages his offer to the office number.
10:13: “Thank you, your offer has arrived. We will discuss it with the seller on Thursday. You will hear from us before 12 noon on Friday.”
He puts his phone away.
Friday 11:40 he gets his answer.

At the office the offer arrived in the email. With date and time. Every colleague could see where each offer stood. So you put it in the bidding log without searching.

The buyer is heard. The estate agent simply works in their own email. The office earns it. So it arrives.

How does your office score? Take the free Communication Scan for estate agents. In one minute you see where you can gain in reachability, appointments and follow-up. Your result arrives straight in WhatsApp.

Prefer to see how it works first? Book a demo.

Further reading

• Scheduling viewings: from request to viewer at the door
• After the viewing: how to follow up with viewers and seller
• RippleCom for estate agents

Frequently asked questions

Is the bidding log mandatory?

For members of NVM, VBO and Vastgoedpro, yes, since 1 January 2023. It is not yet a law. On 1 October 2026 the minister announced a mandatory register for estate agents, including a uniform bidding log. She will inform parliament further in early 2027.

When may a bidder view the bidding log?

Once the cooling-off period has ended and any resolutive conditions have lapsed. The bidding log is anonymised. The content of reservations and personal messages stays hidden.

Within what time must an estate agent respond to an offer?

There is no fixed rule. The agent first discusses the offer with the seller. So give the buyer a moment when they will get an answer.

Is a verbal agreement on buying a house binding?

Not when a private individual buys a home. That purchase must be in writing. After that the buyer has three days to change their mind.