April 5, 2024 came out that there is a shortage of 1 million homes in the Netherlands. Not enough houses have been built for years. In Amsterdam and its surroundings, mainly expats come to look for a house to buy. Even the Dutch cannot afford it.
For a house already so 76 people come to look. For real estate agents it is frustrating, because many people are disappointed. There are many people who overbid with the purchase price and these houses are gone in no time. On the other hand, there are many thousands of houses sitting empty for months or years.
Housing corporations, investors or homeowners leave houses vacant for too long. This is to get/keep the rent or purchase price as high as possible. The government knows this but does nothing about it. Some citizens say that this situation is good for the government.
The fact that so many houses have been vacant for months/years is a problem in several countries. There are positive exceptions. Some of these houses need to be renovated, but the homeowners do not have the money for this. These people, of course, cannot be blamed for anything.
Pregnant women and families
Even young families and pregnant women are being evicted from their rental homes. Some landlords have in their contracts that no children are allowed to live there.
Index funds one of the solutions
With these funds, there is an average return of 10%. This is interest on interest, which is much higher than a savings account. On an online bank website you can calculate what assets you will have after a certain time. If you have built up enough, you can use it to buy a house without a mortgage.
Advantages of owning your own house
A homeowner cannot evict you from the house. You can do what and when you want with the house. Want to change or remodel something? It’s all possible.
Does something break? You can get something done about it right away. With some homeowners, you have to wait months before it’s fixed. Even if there is danger involved.
Greetings and until next time, Brian.
