Canal City Realty

We speak your language.

NVM Register Makelaar. In real estate since 2009, an Amsterdam makelaar since 2015.
Dual mother tongue Dutch and English, with a side of fluent French.

✓ Replies in US-friendly hours ✓ NVM Register Makelaar ✓ 100% independent

About Canal City Realty

Canal City Realty was founded for expats looking to buy, sell, rent, or let a home in Amsterdam — with a dyed-in-the-wool expert at their side. No endless viewings, no almost-accepted bids, no confusing rules or unclear negotiations. Just a personal guide through the entire process — providing clarity, trust, and peace of mind.

CCR is built specifically for expats. Dutch clients are welcome, but the expertise, hours, and approach are designed for people new to the Amsterdam market. It’s personal attention with a low-pressure, high-service approach — not the volume brokerage model most makelaars run.

MEET YOUR MAKELAAR

Hi, I'm Elwin.

I’m an NVM Register Makelaar who was raised in a bilingual household in Het Gooi. I started my career at Voorma & Walch in ‘t Gooi after graduating as Kandidaat Register Makelaar in 2009, took a four-year detour into technical project coordination in Paris, and moved to Amsterdam in early 2015 — where I’ve been working as a makelaar ever since.

I founded Canal City Realty because expats deserve a makelaar who actually understands what it’s like to navigate a foreign housing market. No handoffs to junior agents. No pressure tactics. Just one experienced makelaar guiding you from first viewing to keys in hand.

What We Offer

Our Real Estate Services

Buying a Home

Off-market access through the NVM network, bidding strategy for Amsterdam’s unpredictably priced market, and clear contract review before you sign. I represent you — never the seller.

Selling Your Home

Strategic positioning for your individual home, professional listing prep with NVM network exposure, and full handling of viewings, negotiations, and notary — even if you’ve already relocated abroad.

Renting a Home

The Amsterdam rental market is brutal. I monitor new listings hourly, pre-qualify you to landlords, and represent your application directly — so you actually have a shot at the home you want.

Letting Your Home

Tenant screening, Dutch huurwet-compliant contracts, and the puntenstelsel check that keeps your rent legally enforceable. Long-term peace of mind for your Amsterdam property — wherever you are.

Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

We were very satisfied by the support of Elwin all along the house hunt and purchase process. Reactive, supportive and helpful.

We used Elwin to sell our apartment remotely. He took care of everything and worked efficiently to arrange the sale to meet our expedited timeline. We recommend him highly. all along the house hunt and purchase process. Reactive, supportive and helpful.

Stellar team of people. My girlfriend and I bought a house after corona, a difficult time to do it. Elwin and his team were very quick to set us at ease. Quick and clear communication, calm confidence earned through experience, and smart solutions that just make sense. A whatsapp group was created with me, my girlfriend, our realtor, and an office manager who helped plan viewings, questions, quick actions, updates, appointments: all were dealt with quickly and clearly....

Super trustworthy, proactive and kind people! I can highly recommend Elwin if you want to find your dream home.

We had the pleasure of working with Elwin and he made our house sale process as pain free as possible. Communication was excellent and we felt we were kept well informed throughout the whole process. This was the final part of our relocation and one that we were dreading but it was made as seamless as possible by Elwin. A special thanks to you Elwin!

We really appreciated having Elwin to orient us to the particularities of a housing market we weren’t familiar with and patience while we figured out what worked for us. Plus for being a calming presence as we had inevitable wrinkles and stresses towards the end of the purchase process.

Excellent service, great communication, amazing personality. Available anytime and every time needed.