Rabobank real estate market analyst provides advice

Arjen Ouwehand, senior real estate market analyst at Rabo Real Estate Finance, analyzes the latest trends and developments in the Dutch construction and real estate market. He will be coming to Leusden specifically for the masterclass "Innovative and Efficient Real Estate Management."

Arjen has years of experience in the real estate market. From developers, through housing corporations, to real estate agents, property managers, and ultimately Rabobank, he always plays a strategic advisory role. He studies the market based on reports, conferences, meetings, and his own research.

The mirror

Arjen analyzes the real estate market like an anthropologist. "I work at a bank, but I know little about financing. I have plenty of colleagues who know all about this," he says with a smile. "I collect, combine, and analyze real estate information—for example, as part of a presentation for FHI and VGME—with the goal of holding up a mirror to my own organization or the sector."

The market in motion

As an example, he cites a colleague's comment during the coronavirus period: "Should the bank still invest in offices? After all, everyone is working from home. And this will undoubtedly remain the case after the pandemic." Now, it's precisely Arjen's responsibility to hold up a mirror to the colleague in question. He provides nuance. The world isn't black and white. "We see that there's still a need for office space. This need is, however, subject to change." It's Arjen's specialty to describe this change and ensure that the organization adapts to it, whether it concerns offices, homes, shops, or commercial properties.

"There's no single, reliable source in the real estate world," says Arjen. He cites the Land Registry as an example. "You'd think it's an accurate source. But within the Land Registry, we can't properly distinguish between investors and non-investors." This also applies to investment properties and owner-occupied properties. "There's a lot of noise. And besides, the Land Registry is always behind the market. After all, it has to process the data first, while the sector needs up-to-date information." To get a good picture of the real estate market, it's therefore important to combine different sources: both qualitative and quantitative.

Sentiment

Besides the data Arjen gathers from all sorts of sources, he also has to consider market sentiment. Political voices, for example, pushing for more or less regulation. Which way is it going? These are important signals for Rabobank. Internally, he's having discussions about what's coming their way. And the feeling, the sentiment within society, is a crucial factor. Arjen focuses on what's happening around us and how we can best anticipate it. Going with the flow is key. "Be aware of what's happening around you, and go with the flow."