A parking space at the iconic Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s largest green space, is being sold for nearly half a million euros, a price that is shocking in the Netherlands, where prices have soared due to a severe housing crisis. Offered for €495,000 on real estate website Funda, it is the most expensive parking space in the country, Dutch media RTL reported.
According to the real estate agency J. Heule, the 18m2 parking space is located in a closed area and “on the most famous and exclusive shopping street in the Netherlands“. The street includes luxury brands Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermès. A place on the PC Hooftstraat, a stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, can also be rented for €750 a month.
Price higher than the average price of housing in the Netherlands
The announcement shocked a country hard hit by the housing crisis: the price asked for a 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 to the same. that approximately 390,000 housing units are missing in one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. No housing in Amsterdam was affordable to single people with an average income in 2023, according to the website Hypotheker.
In addition to skyrocketing 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”they are becoming rarer and their value is therefore increasing, but of course such a place is not worth half a million euros», According to RTL. The claim, which real estate agency J. Heule contradicted with the media, pointed 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 emphasized that the Fund page on which the ad was published does not check whether the asking prices correspond to the value of what is being offered for sale. “It just depends if someone is crazy enough to pay that amount.“.