Meanwhile in the Netherlands… 27 Days
Vestingnotes Newsletter - 11.11.2025
Ciao e benvenuti 😊
Another week, another Vestingnotes.
Lately, I’ve noticed how often the same topic keeps coming up in conversations: housing. Fair enough, I spend most of my days surrounded by listings and real estate professionals, besides tech.
Recently I ended up diving into the Dutch housing market. Not for investing (definitely not enough cash for that 😄), just out of curiosity. I came across a YouTube video by Marcello Ascani - an Italian creator who, besides making great content about startups and entrepreneurship, travels around the world asking Italians living abroad about the quality and cost of life. He did one in Zurich too, by the way.
One of his latest videos was filmed in Amsterdam - and that probably pushed me to take a closer look at how things work there.
What I found was surprisingly impressive - at least to me.
Recap from last week
Last week was all about Vestingnotes itself - how it’s been slowly finding its own shape, somewhere between curiosity and creation.
And how sometimes, the right direction doesn’t come from a plan, but from the people it attracts along the way.
The takeaway? Not everything needs a clear purpose from day one.
Some projects grow simply by showing up - week after week, note after note.
If you missed it, you can read it here 👇🏼
Why does the Swiss market move in months, while the Dutch one moves in days?
🇨🇭 Switzerland - The Silent Market
Selling a home here takes roughly seven months on average (Blick). In cities like Zurich or Geneva, 4–5 months. In rural areas, up to a year.
There are about around 4.7 million dwellings for 8.9 million people - and only 36% of residents own the home they live in (Global Property Guide).
Transactions are rarely rushed. They involve extended due diligence, and face-to-face negotiations. And while PropTech adoption is growing, the Swiss real estate digitalisation index still sits at around 4/10, one of the lowest in Western Europe (pom+ Group AG 2024).
🇳🇱 Netherlands - The Market on Fast-Forward
Then there’s the Netherlands.
Here, around 8.2 million of dwellings for 17.9 million people - roughly twice Switzerland’s housing stock.
Yet homes sell in 27 days on average and 90% of listings close within a quarter. Most even sell above the asking price (+ 5.6%) (DMPM).
Average number of days needed to sell
It’s not just the demand - it’s the infrastructure. From listing to contract, nearly every step can be handled digitally. Digital signatures are the norm, and property data is public by default.
Digital Distance, Human Common Ground
Switzerland scores 4/10 on digital maturity.
The Netherlands, by contrast, is considered one of Europe’s most advanced markets.
In Switzerland, digitalisation still feels like a tool - something external. In the Netherlands, it’s become invisible à- part of how people already work.
And the irony?
Both markets are driven by the same human forces: scarcity.
The Takeaways
Technology doesn’t replace trust - it scales it.
The faster a market moves, the more structure it needs underneath. That’s where PropTech quietly earns its place.Digitalisation isn’t about adding tools, but removing friction.
The markets that win are those where people spend less time managing information - and more time acting on it.You can’t automate relationships, but you can enable them.
Good software should help people focus on what’s human - not replace it.The next evolution won’t come from more features, but from better flow.
The right PropTech doesn’t add noise; it makes the existing rhythm visible.
If you’ve made it this far, drop a like so I know you’re actually reading along 😉
And if you’re curious why I chose the name Vestingnotes, leave a comment and take a guess!
Thanks for reading - and if you subscribe, welcome to Vestingnotes! 🎉
See you next week 🕶️
Cheers,
Jona
nestermind
Here our last update: 🚀 nestermind Product Update – August/September 2025
If you want to learn more and stay updated, you can subscribe at the bottom of the page!
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow Vestingnotes on LinkedIn