16 Sep The biggest surprise of the moment?
In Almere, the housing market has clearly shifted. Longer selling times, tough negotiations, and once a home is sold and the sales agreement is signed, the financing becomes the last hurdle for a finalized sale after the cooling-off period.
Getting a mortgage has become more challenging. Good preparation is truly beneficial. Having an up-to-date employer’s statement, pay slip, and checking your credit rating in advance is useful if you’re a buyer. For self-employed buyers, advertisements often promise that “anything is possible!”—and indeed it is, but only after an incredibly slow and complicated process, often with a distant bank. We’ve had many surprised, disappointed, and even frustrated entrepreneurs walk into our office. Significant costs are incurred, and a lot of time is invested in tasks like preparing annual accounts, calculating business income, getting appraisals, and so on.
While this eventually leads to financially stable situations for both the bank and the buyer, I can certainly understand why potential buyers wonder why the process has to be so complicated. As a result, some candidates may decide not to move, which slows the market and limits options for first-time buyers.
Despite the administrative hassle, time investment, and stress involved, there are still good numbers of people interested in buying homes. This indicates a real demand for housing, and many are still actively searching for properties. We don’t just read about this in the news—we see it firsthand in the market every day.
We’re very pleased with the current interest in homes; considering the state of the world today, it’s easy to imagine that people might have less interest in property.
If you’re considering buying a home, prepare yourself well. We hope to see you on April 1st at the upcoming open house day organized by Funda, where you can visit our properties without an appointment. You’re most welcome!
Kind regards,
Arie van der Lee
NVM Real Estate Agent – Appraiser
