First-time buyers are missing opportunities: 60% haven’t met with adviser or bank yet

Here are the most important findings:

• 61% of first-time buyers have not yet spoken to a mortgage adviser or bank

• 67% assume that as a first-time buyer, they probably won’t manage without financial help

• 48% haven’t spoken to their family about the possibility of help

• 30% of first-time buyers feel ashamed and 28% feel stressed at the idea of asking their family for financial support when buying a home

• 32% haven’t heard of the family mortgage option

• 39% of the first-time buyers who expect that buying a home will be difficult for them have discussed their plans with a mortgage adviser or bank, while 55% of those who expect it to be easy have consulted a mortgage adviser or bank.

“Whereas buying a house used to be a normal thing to do, the current market makes it extremely tough for first-time buyers,” says Mike Langen, Senior Housing Market Economist at ABN AMRO. “The housing shortage, growth in incomes and long-term low mortgage interest rates have caused prices to rocket. This makes finding a dream house very challenging for first-time buyers. But they shouldn’t let it put them off.”

Help from the family often overlooked

One of the options open to first-time buyers is to take out a family mortgage to help finance their home. This is when parents or other relatives provide them with a mortgage. Family mortgages have become increasingly popular in recent years. Despite this, the possibility of financial support from the family is often left untouched. Almost half of all first-time buyers haven’t asked their family about the possibility of financial help, and a quarter of them aren’t planning to do so. Some first-time buyers feel reluctant to broach the subject. The idea makes them feel ashamed or stressed.

Not all first-time buyers are aware of the family mortgage option: almost one in three (32%) say they’ve never heard of it. What’s more, the study revealed a certain amount of confusion about this type of finance: over half of those asked thought that a family mortgage is only an option for wealthy families. “A wasted opportunity,” says Deborah Toerse, financial adviser at ABN AMRO. “There are so many types of family mortgage, and they aren’t governed by specific amounts or assets. People are often so relieved when we meet to discuss a family mortgage: parents who are able to help, and children who realise that they aren’t alone.”

Help when it’s needed

“It’s understandable that people find it difficult to ask their family for financial help when buying a house,” says Richard Ronald, Professor of Housing, Society and Space at the University of Amsterdam. “Young Dutch adults often leave home at quite a young age and were traditionally able to buy their own home. But their spending power has diminished in recent years, while older generations have been able to accumulate considerable assets. Given the resources available to many parents, it’s actually quite sensible for the younger generations to ask for financial support from them. It’s also sensible for parents to help their children when they need it most, i.e. at a time when they’re building up a life and raising a family, rather than waiting until they inherit from their parents and the impact is often smaller.”

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About the survey

Ipsos I&O conducted the survey in April 2025 on behalf of ABN AMRO. The study was conducted among a sample of 1,000 first-time buyers on the housing market, ranging from 25 to 40 years old and representative in terms of age, gender and region. The first-time buyers in this study did not currently own a home, but were looking for one. ‘Looking for’ covers a wide group: from people who look at houses on Funda or talk to other people about buying a home, to people who recently made an offer on a house. So not only active home-hunters, but also people who are simply open to buying a house.