“Valuations are going up, which shows just how large the housing shortage in the Netherlands is”

In an interview with PropertyEU, Marleen Bosma, Head of Research & Strategic Advisory, elaborates on Bouwinvest’s expectations for the coming years and the impact of Covid-19. Since the beginning of the crisis, the team has been closely monitoring all developments. “Valuations are going up, while we had expected values to fall somewhat due to uncertainty. In my opinion, that shows just how large the housing shortage in the Netherlands actually is.”

Commenting on Bouwinvest’s strategy, Marleen says it remains much the same as it was just over a year ago, when Covid-19 was merely a potentially worrying phenomenon. “We already sharpened our investment strategy before Covid; the pandemic has just accelerated the trends we had already seen.” Bouwinvest is doubling down on growth sectors that have become even more prominent during the crisis, such as logistics, (affordable) housing and healthcare segments. However, it is also boosting its exposure to some of the sectors hardest hit, for example student housing, hotels and retail. ‘We do expect a bounce back there in the longer term,’ Bosma says.

Would you like to know more about our forecasts? Read the full interview here.