The rise in house prices is continuing throughout the province, according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Land Registry. Last year the average price for an owner-occupied home was nowhere below 200,000 euros and the top ten of the most expensive municipalities in the Netherlands contains seven municipalities in North Holland. The Noordkop is traditionally behind the times when it comes to house prices, but for how long?
Closer or not; prices of owner-occupied homes are also rising at an unprecedented rate in the Noordkop. In 2020, a house in Den Helder changed hands for an average of 195,900 euros, in 2021 this was 225,900.
In Schagen this was 308,000 in 2020 against 341,500 euros in 2022. In Hollands Kroon 256,800 against 302,600 euros and on Texel 359.00 against 377,300.
Where does this end? “No one knows,” says broker Coen Zuurbier from Breezand. “The market is driven by emotion. We cannot predict where house prices will go. Interest rates are starting to rise, so there will be some counter-pressure.”
‘No Amsterdam scenes in the Noordkop’
However, he does not expect that ‘Amsterdam scenes’ will take place in the Noordkop in the future. “Amsterdam has an international market, we don’t have that. You notice that more and more people are leaving the Randstad because there is no home for them, but we will never come close to Amsterdam in terms of house prices.”
According to the broker, it is therefore likely that the Noordkop will always remain ‘more advantageous’ when it comes to house prices. “We are always behind Amsterdam. So if you pay more for a home here, you will probably pay a lot more in the rest of the province. In that sense, the region remains cheaper than the rest.”
Unrealistic prices
In North Holland, Den Helder is the municipality with the lowest average house price. Yet Esther Stevens, real estate agent in Den Helder, speaks of a ‘giga increase’. “Against all expectations, house prices continued to rise during corona.”
She calls the current prices unrealistic. “They are much too high, especially for starters. A house must also be worth that price and if the valuation is 40,000 euros lower, you have to bring a considerable amount of your own money.”
That worries her, she sees that people quickly make high bids. “The interest rate is now low and you can take out an interest-only mortgage. But you will eventually get the bill and the interest will also start to rise again. Prices will continue to rise for the time being due to the housing shortage, but eventually you run the risk that the house is flooded.”