Over the past few weeks, various media have paid attention to 'Holiday homes being put up for sale en masse'. We (the Pretwerk.nl editorial team) also saw an article on Omroep Zeeland on July 20th with that tenor (the source article). Since then, this article has been picked up by other media and extrapolated to the national situation. But is that actually true?
See also: Holiday homes put up for sale en masse due to higher taxes and uncertainty: 'Houses are a cash cow' – Omroep Zeeland (on July 20)
The reasons behind the sale of holiday homes – primarily intended as an investment – align with the information we are also gathering about this market:
- Uncertainty regarding Box 3 legislation, meaning that tax on the increase in value of real estate may (potentially) have to be paid immediately.
- The increase in VAT on the rental of holiday homes from 9 to 21% (effective January 1, 2026), which puts the return on rentals under severe pressure.
- Other developments making a holiday in the Netherlands increasingly expensive include rising tourist tax, higher petrol prices, higher wages, and holidaymakers complaining about prices in the hospitality industry.
Zeeland has a dynamic all its own.
The item on Omroep Zeeland leads to a series of follow-up articles. See, among others:
- Holiday homes put up for sale en masse due to higher taxes and uncertainty: 'Houses are a cash cow' (NOS – 20-6)
- Why Dutch people are now selling off their holiday homes en masse | EenVandaag (23-6)
- Record number of holiday homes for sale due to higher taxes: 'Prices are already dropping somewhat' | de Volkskrant (30-7)
- Record number of holiday homes for sale due to higher taxes. 'Prices are already dropping somewhat' – Nederlands Dagblad. The quality newspaper of Christian Netherlands (5-8)
- Record number of holiday homes for sale: why owners are getting out now – Well-informed Circles(8-8)
- Holiday homes are for sale en masse: thanks to Box 3 and expensive local regulations. – Wynia's Week (15-8)
An initial round of calls to experts in this market segment put us in touch with, among others, Vakantiemakelaar (now part of Landal), which represents a nationwide range of holiday homes. Aad Rekelhof of Vakantiemakelaar states in a response:
We recognize that the supply of existing holiday homes in Zeeland, as well as in other provinces, has increased in the recent period. At the same time, we still see healthy and balanced demand for existing holiday homes, particularly for properties demonstrating a stable rental yield. Consequently, we do not recognize the picture of a nationwide wave of sales. Moreover, the market varies significantly by region, location, and type of recreational property.
The NVM also does not recognize the enormous wave of recreational real estate sales. They refer to a report on the holiday home market in 2025 (published in April 2026). The province of Zeeland is an outlier in this regard, with its own dynamics:
Compared to the national trend, Zeeland presents a contrasting picture. Supply is rising sharply (+28%), while the number of transactions is decreasing and prices are falling by 9%. “Zeeland is one of the first regions where a buyer's market is emerging. This is due to a combination of declining demand and rapidly growing supply, particularly in the higher segment.”
The same report indicates that the province of Zeeland, together with the Wadden Islands, has the highest prices for holiday homes. These prices have risen sharply in recent years, so a healthy correction may be taking place here as well. Zeeland has also been in the red in terms of the number of overnight stays for two years now; -1% in 2024 and -5% in 2025. This also places Zeeland within a unique regional trend.
National trend; another increase in 2025
No sharp decline is visible in the national trend for holiday homes, as mapped out by the NVM research report up to 2025 either. (although there is market dynamics with rises and falls.)
In 2025, 4.273 recreational homes were sold in the Netherlands. This continues the upward trend started last year, although the increase compared to last year is moderate, at a rise of 2,9%. The number of sales peaked in the 2020–2022 period.
NVM explanation of the above graph.
The figures for 2026 are not yet known. For the time being, we have to rely on estimates from market participants. With this article, we wanted to add some nuance to the recent reporting on this market segment.
More information: NVM: Recreational home market in equilibrium, but regional differences are increasing sharply | NVM (report from April 2026, with figures for the year 2025)