House prices in Rotterdam above pre-crisis level

Prices of owner-occupied homes (excluding new constructions) in Rotterdam peaked in Q3 2008 but plummeted by almost 16 percent to a low in Q2 2013. Now, over three years later, prices are 2 percent above the peak level reached in 2008. Among the four major cities, only in The Hague are prices still below the level of 2008.

Year-on-year house prices higher across the country

Across all provinces and in the four major cities, residential property prices were up in Q4 relative to Q4 2015. In Amsterdam, prices soared with an average increase of 14.4 percent year-on-year. Partly as a result of this price surge, the province of Noord-Holland had the highest average increase among all provinces at 9.2 percent.

Year-on-year price increases in Q4 2016 exceeded the nationwide average of 6.1 percent increase in the provinces of Utrecht (7.9 percent), Groningen (6.8 percent), Flevoland (6.3 percent) and Zuid-Holland (6.1 percent).

All dwelling types up in price

All different types of dwelling were more expensive than one year previously in Q4, with flat prices rising most significantly at 8.6 percent. Prices of detached houses saw relatively the lowest increase at 4.3 percent.

Highest house sales ever

During 2016 a record total of 214,793 houses were sold, the highest number since the start of the joint publication in 1995 by CBS and Kadaster. This amounts to a total transaction value of more than 52 billion. A peak was reached in December with 25,280 transactions.

Sales boomed in all 12 provinces, with Gelderland, Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant reaching record levels since the start of the measurement.

The volume of sales was substantial and considerably larger in 2016 compared to the previous year for all types of dwelling. Sales of flats, corner houses and detached houses reached the highest-ever volumes on record.