Same in the Netherlands. People couldn't spend their savings on an expensive holiday, interest is super low, demand is super high, supply is very low.

So now when a house is presented online, sometimes within a day it says: Please don't respond anymore, our firm can't handle the amount of emails and phone calls. We invited 30 people/couples and then will assess.

Sometimes you can engage in the bidding war without reviewing the property, of course the chance of getting it is highest if you forego any rights you may have to step away from the deal should you run into financing issues. This presents a high risk because couples opt for loaning the maximum amount they can by both working full time. 10 years ago all my friends said: "we're sticking to a property we can afford on 1 salary, for safety and if we run into trouble."

It's already annoying if you have a house to sell for a ridiculous price but imagine what it's like when you are looking for your first property. Hopeless.

I'm glad I live in an acceptable house, but if we were in the market of 10 years ago (when realtors would only negotiate with one person/couple at a time) I would have moved on by now, to something more rural, bigger and with more land.

I feel stuck, it's crazy how different the situation is from 10 years ago.

I think we just needs start building, a lot, and fast. In stead we seem to be stuck on the amount of fixed nitrogen we produces, putting a break on everything (including construction) [0].

[0] https://www.politico.eu/article/netherlands-nitrogen-headach...