The competition authority NMa is to look into recent developments in the real estate agency sector, 10 years after the profession was opened up to all-comers.

‘Buying a home is the most important purchase that many consumers will make,’ the NMa’s acting chairman Henk Don said in a statement. ‘It is of great importance to make sure this sector functions properly.’
Ten years ago, the government scrapped the special legal protection enjoyed by real estate agents and since then the market has changed enormously, Don said. The arrival of internet and the end of fixed fees for house-buying services have also had a major effect.