Oud-West

Oud-West is Amsterdam in its most desirable everyday form. The Vondelpark anchors one edge, the Foodhallen and De Hallen pull crowds to the other, and in between runs a dense grid of 19th-century housing, independent shops and some of the city's best restaurants. It is flat, endlessly cyclable and packed with the young professionals and expats who give the district its energy. For investors, Oud-West offers prime fundamentals: relentless rental demand, fixed historic supply and prices that have climbed steadily. But the regulatory picture has shifted decisively. Amsterdam's citywide self-occupancy rule requires buyers of mid-priced homes to live in them rather than let them out for several years, and Box 3 wealth tax erodes returns on let portfolios. Yields of around 4% are attractive by Swiss standards but the practical effect of the rules is to make Oud-West an owner-occupier market first and a buy-to-let one only at the top of the price range.

Oud-West in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands