A parking place bordering the iconic Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s largest green space, is on sale for almost half a million eurosa price that is shocking in the Netherlands, where a severe housing crisis has caused prices to explode. Offered for 495,000 euros on the real estate site Funda, it is the most expensive parking space in the country, reported Dutch media RTL.
The 18 square meter parking space is according to the announcement of the real estate agency J. Heule located in a closed complex and “on the most famous and exclusive shopping street in the Netherlands“. The street includes luxury brands Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès. The location on PC Hooftstraat, a stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, can also be rented for 750 euros per month.
A price higher than the average price of housing in the Netherlands
The announcement shocked the country hard hit by the housing crisis: the price asked for the parking space is higher than the average price of housing in the Netherlands, 430,000 euros according to a report published at the end of 2023. Another study pointed out the same year that there is a shortage of some 390,000 housing units in one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. No housing in Amsterdam was accessible to single people with an average income in 2023, according to the Hypotheker website.
In addition to the soaring prices, RTL points out that many parking spaces in city centers in the Netherlands have been closed to make city centers less attractive for cars. They “are becoming more and more rare and their value is therefore increasing, but such a place is of course not worth half a million euros», According to RTL. An assertion that the real estate agency J. Heule disputed with the media, pointing out that the district, where houses sell for several million euros, is also full of expensive apartments and cars. “There is no outdoor space, so parking is very difficult in this area and there is rarely a parking space available.» RTL also stressed that the Funda site, on which the ad was published, does not control whether the prices asked correspond to the value of what is put up for sale. “It just depends on whether anyone is crazy enough to pay that amount.“.
