A lot goes wrong with viewings and bidding on owner-occupied houses. That is what Vereniging Eigen Huis says on the basis of about 600 experiences that were shared via the Unfair Bidding Practices hotline. The association opened that hotline at the end of March. The organization advocates stricter codes of conduct for brokers.
Stories were received at the reporting center of Vereniging Eigen Huis about brokers who play buyers off against each other and exchange information with each other in order to drive up the price. “Brokers can be expected that the viewing and bidding procedures are clear and fair. That is often not the case, according to the experiences of many buyers,” says the association.
Overheated Market
The NVM (association for real estate agents) writes in a response that they have submitted suggestions to the Ministry of the Interior to ensure more transparency and clear rules, such as online bidding. Furthermore, the NVM calls it “not constructive” to point at each other in this overheated market.
NVM asks customers to report complaints about brokers to the Disputes Committee. A specific NVM broker was mentioned in 91 of the 600 complaints received by the Home Owners Association. Those cases are being investigated by the industry association.
The NVM also says that more parties are involved in the sale of a house. “It is therefore too easy that the Home Owners Association now only puts the ball in the hands of the brokers and does not look at other parties involved, such as the homeowners and buyers.”
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