Rabobank Group

3-12-2010 | Economic news

Times are still tough in the owner-occupied property market in the Netherlands. But according to Rabobank’s Dutch Housing Market Quarterly, there are some signs of improvement.

House prices have risen for two successive quarters after having fallen for the six preceding quarters. These increases confirm the earlier view that prices are stabilising overall. While the number of transactions is historically low, signs of stabilisation are visible here too. The number of transactions, which had exceeded 200,000 in the period before February 2008, has fluctuated at around 128,000 since October 2009 (12-month average).

The adverse impact of these low transaction numbers is felt by estate agents, intermediaries, removal companies and civil-law notaries. It also translates into longer selling times for many sellers.

The Dutch Housing Market Quarterly periodically addresses developments in the Dutch housing market. The publication gives information about price developments, the number of housing transactions, housing production, interest developments, affordability of houses and the mortgage market. On the one hand it provides information about the current state of the Dutch housing market, and on the other hand it sets out Rabobank’s market expectations for the near future.