More than one in five homes in the Netherlands sold at a loss in 2013, according to research by state broadcaster NOS based on data from the Dutch Land Registry.

There were in total 17.913 homes sold last year with a selling price lower than the original purchase price. This is 40 per cent more than in 2012.

House prices in the Netherlands

While house sales in the Netherlands are back up to pre-crisis levels, the same cannot be said for house prices.

While North Holland and Zeeland had the fewest sales at a loss from all the areas of the Netherlands, in Flevoland most homes were sold with a loss.

One real estate agent said that prices in the province were now back to 2001 levels.

"Houses bought in 2008 for 235.000 or 240.000 euros are now being sold at a loss, with such homes now selling for under 200.000 euros."

With 20 per cent of all houses that were being sold below the original purchase price, the loss was more than 40.000 euros.

One man from the town of Loosdrecht who sold his house last year after a divorce had to accept a loss of 85.000 euros.

Losses including costs of purchase

NOS also asked the Land Registry to see how many homes were sold at a loss if the costs of purchase were included.

They found that in many cases these costs have been co-financed and thus can be taken into account in the loss, meaning that 34 per cent of all house sales in the Netherlands were at a loss. In Flevoland, that was more than half.

Too see what the house prices are by province, check out this map.
 

Source: NOS