Dutch house prices rose slightly in January after existing owner-occupied homes became cheaper for several months. Housing market professor Peter Boelhouwer of TU Delft is surprised at this increase.
According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Land Registry, prices increased by 1.5 percent compared to December. In the last month of last year, prices fell by more than 2 percent compared to November, which was the strongest drop in ten years.
Boelhouwer thinks the figures are quite special, although he does not want to draw too big conclusions from the monthly figure. ‘But I didn’t expect this. It deviates from the trend.’
Problems for the starter remain large
‘For starters, the problems remain major,’ says Boelhouwer, mainly because of the high interest rates. They can borrow ten to fifteen percent less than, say, a year ago. So if prices were to remain at this level, they would have no chance.’
The price increase is only good news for new construction, says Boekhouwer. This is because people are less inclined to buy a new-build home that they will only be able to move into within a few years when there is a trend of falling house prices.
‘The problems remain great for the starter’
