The Dutch housing market in 2026 — what I'm actually seeing

Over the past few months, I’ve probably been asked the same question a hundred times: “Maybe we should wait a bit longer? What if prices drop soon?”

Honestly, it comes up in almost every other conversation.

And my answer today is different from what I’d have said two years ago. Not because the market changed dramatically — but because the way it works did.

Buyers can finally breathe

Not long ago, buying a house felt like a competitive sport.

A viewing.

An hour later — a deadline.

Two hours later — you had to decide.

Paperwork? We’ll look at that later.

A building survey? Preferably skip it.

Overpaying? Well, what choice did you have.

I always told my clients this wasn’t normal. But the market set the rules.

Today things feel a lot calmer. No, good properties still move fast — especially when they’re priced right. But in most cases, buyers finally have time to think.

And honestly, that’s the best change the market has seen in years.

You can do more than view a house now — you can actually study it

It used to be that many people bought almost blind. Today it’s a different world.

You can sit down and read the VvE’s documents. Check the financial accounts. Understand what maintenance is planned. Dig into the owners’ association’s debts. Check the ground-lease (erfpacht) terms, if there are any. Look into the house’s history. Get a building survey done.

And only then decide.

As someone who reads dozens of document packages a week, I can tell you: right now, that’s genuinely possible. And that’s a huge plus.

Overpaying has gotten harder

A few years ago it sometimes felt like flats were priced on the principle of “whatever people are willing to pay, that’s what it’s worth.”

Today buyers are far more rational. They ask questions. They negotiate. They look at alternatives. And sellers know it.

That doesn’t mean you can pick up a good house for half price. You can’t. But it does mean the price is increasingly something to negotiate, not a fact of life.

So why aren’t prices falling?

This is where people are often surprised — supply has gone up, after all.

It has. More flats that used to be rented out have come onto the market. Some investors decided to sell after changes to the law.

But the Netherlands’ core problem hasn’t gone anywhere: we’re still building less housing than we need. And as long as demand keeps outrunning supply, a broad drop in prices is very unlikely.

So what we’re seeing isn’t a crash — it’s a gradual cooling.

Mortgages are pulling their weight again

There’s one more thing a lot of people underestimate.

When interest rates started climbing, many expected prices to fall sharply. Instead, the market adjusted: incomes rose, maximum mortgage amounts went up, and banks kept lending actively.

The result: what people can actually afford to pay has stayed high.

What I actually tell my clients

I never tell someone: “Buy now, because it’ll be more expensive tomorrow.” And I never say: “Wait a year, it’ll get cheaper,” either. No honest professional can actually know that.

Instead, I suggest looking at it differently. If you’ve found a flat or a house that:

genuinely suits your family;
is in a good area;
has no serious legal or technical risks;
fits your budget,

then “but what if it’s cheaper in six months?” usually stops being the question that matters most.

Because property isn’t the stock market. Most people aren’t buying a house for six months — they’re buying somewhere to live for years.

The change I like best

If someone asked me to sum up today’s market in one line, I’d say: the winner today isn’t whoever clicks “buy” fastest — it’s whoever came prepared.

And honestly, I like this market a lot more. Because it’s the one where you actually get to check the paperwork, spot the hidden risks, negotiate properly, and make a decision you’ve actually thought through.

Which, to my mind, is exactly what a good buying agent is for.