Falling Netherlands house prices leave owners stuck

michaels

Interesting how many house price problems seem to result because of govt intervention in the market - US subprime, Dutch mortgage interest tax relief, UK excessive planning restrictions. Anyone know whether there were tax advantages in Eire and Spain for property construction? It is almost as if markets could work better without govt intervention....

Talking of which most argue banks were too lightly regulated but if banks had been less regualted their shareholders, bondholders and depositors might have been a little more careful rather than simply chasing the highest rate (see Icelandic banks passim) and there would have been an incentive for bank management to be seen to manage risk (also see HSBC lower deposit rates post crisis).

Loughton_Monkey

antrobus wrote: »

Granted they do seem oddly devoted to the delights of choco sprinkles amongst other things, but otherwise they seem reasonably civilised. I think they were even kind enough to lend us a replacement king once when we'd got fed up with the incumbent.

... and let's not forget the drainage of the fens, which gave us Norfolk - the sugar beet capital of the world - where (I'm told) they can all count the seven deadly sins on one hand...

.. on second thoughts...

mcfisco

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

... and let's not forget the drainage of the fens, which gave us Norfolk - the sugar beet capital of the world - where (I'm told) they can all count the seven deadly sins on one hand...

.. on second thoughts...

.... also not forgetting....... liberal policing attitudes

N1AK

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Good god. Do they even have homeowners dinner parties over there?

That bit really annoyed me. I've got a lot of family over there some of whom are well off. Renting is not even remotely odd to the Dutch; admittedly amongst the upper middle class it would be odd not to move out to one of the better areas and buy once you settle down with a family but that's normal just about everywhere.

zagubov

Their houses have more floorspace than us and their country is about 15% built-up. Thier houses ought to bew worth more than ours.

I used to visit every year with work and found it an amazing place. They always seem very sensible serious cautious people. It didn't seem to have any poor areas, but hey most civilised countries manage that.

I'm very surprised to see them being caught out with a bubble (again) what with their historical baggage.

black_taxi_2

I think joining the euro--made people feel better off