The sale of newly built homes increased by almost a third in the first quarter of this year. This seems like a strong increase, but it is “not exceptionally high.” The ambition to provide 100,000 new homes annually is not getting any closer.
In the first quarter of 2025, almost 6,200 owner-occupied homes were sold, according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This is an increase of 28 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.
“An increase of 28 percent seems good, but sales were very low a year ago,” says CBS chief economist Peter Hein van Mulligen. The number is higher than the average of the first quarters in the last ten years: 5,800. “Yet it is not exceptionally high,” says Van Mulligen.
The figures cannot be directly compared to the ambition of the (demissionary) cabinet to provide 100,000 new homes annually. This is because new rental homes are also being built and non-residential buildings are being transformed into homes.
On the other hand, homes also disappear through demolition. “If you include all of that, you won’t reach those 100,000,” says Van Mulligen. That number has not been reached for years.
The number of existing homes sold also increased, by 16 percent, to 51,500. The percentage increase can be seen in the graphs below.
Prices continue to rise
The prices of newly built owner-occupied homes rose by 9.3 percent. That was the largest price increase in more than two years. The average sales value was over 504,000 euros. The average sales value of an existing owner-occupied home rose by 10.9 percent to 470,000 euros.
“The prices of existing homes have risen more sharply in the last five quarters than those of new-build homes,” writes CBS. Despite the economic uncertainty, the rise in house prices continues. Buying a home is therefore becoming increasingly difficult for many households.
In early June, ABN AMRO announced that house prices will rise by 8 percent this year, more than previously expected.