Dutch people submitted slightly fewer mortgage applications last month, according to the Mortgage Data Network (HDN). Even with the small decline, May was still the second‑busiest month of the year, following March, when many applicants rushed to secure loans because they expected mortgage rates to rise due to geopolitical tensions.
People filed around 47,750 mortgage applications in May, a drop of 3 percent compared with the same month last year. HDN says its network processes almost all mortgage applications in the Netherlands.
More than six in ten applications came from homebuyers. They submitted 29,750 applications, roughly the same number as a year earlier. The remaining applications involved people adjusting an existing loan.
The share of first‑time buyers fell to just under half of all purchase‑related applications. In May 2025, this group still accounted for nearly 54 percent. Single buyers and first‑time buyers planning to renovate their new homes submitted fewer applications, in particular.
HDN reports that the average market value of purchased homes reached a new record last month. It rose by 7 percent to 535,500 euros. However, the average mortgage amount increased only slightly. Buyers borrowed an average of 378,240 euros, just 0.5 percent more than last year. HDN says this gap shows that buyers are using more of their own resources, such as savings, gifts, or equity.
@ANP | News Brainport
