[alexbiet]

Most of the houses listed on the Dutch real estate market sell for +€60K-€100K OVER the asking price. It's insane!

Most people (teachers, nurses, etc) are on €35K-45K or less gross annual salary. Cut out ~50% taxes/healthcare and living expenses and calculate how many people can afford a €500K two-bedroom apartment from '72 near Amsterdam.

Also, be prepared to drop another €20K on middlemen, notaries and tax to finalize the home purchase.

[phicoh]

The suprising thing is not that houses are expensive in Amsterdam (though 500K buys quite a bit of house just outside of Amsterdam), but that houses are unaffordable for average people throughout The Netherlands.

It seems obvious to blame local governments all over The Netherlands who fail to make enough space available for building new houses.

[thatfrenchguy]

I mean, to be fair, paying 20% over asking in the San Francisco Bay Area has been just a normal fact of life in the last 10 years.