Disgruntled estate agents plan rival to property site Funda

A group of disgruntled real estate brokers is starting a rival online real estate marketplace to the dominant Funda, saying it is “building a platform in which the broker is no longer a cash cow but is at the helm.”

The new platform, called Homek, is expected to launch in March 2027. For now, it’s appealing to brokers to join the platform, with RTL Z reporting that it won’t launch until at least 1,000 agents have bought in or the foundation has raised €1 million.

The increasing price of placing a property on Funda is one of the irritants that led the brokers to start the rival site.

“Homek is the fair, transparent alternative to Funda, without expensive packages or paid priority,” says Homek’s website, which currently doesn’t list any properties for sale or rent.

Only certified brokers affiliated with industry associations can use Homek, unlike Funda, where unaffiliated real estate agents who meet the site’s conditions can place properties.

Brokers on Homek will also share in the profits.

“The high placement costs and priority paid at Funda require an alternative: a housing platform where real estate agents themselves are in charge,” says Homek’s website. It promises “fair rates, equal opportunities and control for the affiliated brokers and offices.”

Supply problems

Funda was established in 2001 by the brokers’ association NVM.

“As brokers, we came up with Funda ourselves,” says Toine Naber, former chairman of the NVM branch in West-Brabant and a past member of Funda’s advisory board. “With Homek, we get the chance to do it again, but this time without giving away control of our own future.”

Sven Heinen, who is slated to be chairman of the Homek Foundation, told RTL Z he recognises that to become successful, Homek must have the goods to offer home buyers or renters.

“In the past, there have been plenty of competitors of Funda who wanted to take a piece of this market, but they all stalled because the supply was too limited,” Heinen says. “Only when many real estate agents join us and share their housing supply…can we become a serious competitor of Funda.”

Heinen says that within 48 hours, they’ve already raised €200,000.

Funda says it’s not worried about the competition for now. “In a healthy market, there is competition, and sometimes new players join,” spokesperson Claire Verhagen told RTL Z. “We look forward to that with confidence.”