Van Schendelbuurt, Haarlem

Living in Van Schendelbuurt

Van Schendelbuurt is city living in its most compact form, and living here overwhelmingly means apartment living — 90% of the stock is flats.

At 8,866 residents per km² the buurt is busy without being packed.

Haarlem is effectively Amsterdam's most beautiful suburb: historic streets, its own city identity, a 15-minute train into Amsterdam — and prices that reflect exactly that combination. Competition for period homes is intense.

The housing market in Van Schendelbuurt

The average home value (WOZ) in Van Schendelbuurt is €276,000, which puts it at #94 of 96 neighborhoods in Haarlem — 43% cheaper than most of the city, leaving room in the budget that pricier neighborhoods would swallow. For scale: Haarlem's cheapest buurt averages €263,000 and its priciest €1,309,000, so Van Schendelbuurt sits among the city's more affordable ones.

The direction of the market: between 2016 and 2025 the average WOZ value here rose from €118,000 to €276,000, up 134% — faster than the city as a whole (+126%). WOZ values lag the market by about a year, but the trend itself is reliable.

Here is the catch for buyers: only 22% of homes are owner-occupied, and 74% of the stock is social housing that never reaches the open market. Few homes come up for sale, so when one does, expect competition and act fast on viewings. The upside of the same number: neighborhoods with a big rental base tend to feel lively and transient rather than settled — decide which you want before you fall for a listing.

Who lives here

Demographically, Van Schendelbuurt is shaped by people in their late twenties to early forties (41% of its 1,255 residents), followed by 45-to-65 year olds at 24%. More than half of all households (64%) are single-person — this is a neighborhood of independents, not minivans. The average household counts 1.6 people.

As for who your neighbors would be: incomes lean modest — 63% of households are among the country's lower earners.

Daily errands, coffee and dinner

Day to day: the nearest large supermarket is about 7 minutes' walk; there are about 10 cafés and restaurants within walking distance — enough choice without the crowds.

The practical checklist most buyers forget to make: pharmacy 10 min walk · GP 6 min · hospital 1.4 km · library 1.3 km · 1 cinema within 5 km. None of these will decide a purchase on their own, but a GP taking new patients nearby is the kind of thing you only miss after moving.

Families and schools

For families: the nearest primary school is 8 minutes on foot; daycare is well covered (7 locations nearby) — though Dutch waiting lists mean you register the week you know you're expecting, not the week you need it; secondary school is a 5-minute bike ride, which Dutch teenagers do in all weather.

Getting around

Getting around: the station is a 12-minute cycle, standard Dutch commuting range; a highway on-ramp 1.3 km away makes car trips easy — check whether through-traffic noise reaches the street you're considering; and at 0.6 cars per household, most residents simply don't own one — if you do, factor in permit costs and waiting lists before you buy.

Energy and running costs

97% of homes were built before 2000. Two identical-looking houses on the same street can differ by hundreds of euros a month once heating is counted — the energy label tells you which one you're looking at, and lenders increasingly price it into your mortgage too.

Before you bid in Van Schendelbuurt

Before you bid in Van Schendelbuurt: the national soil map leaves built-up areas unclassified, and city centres like this one often sit on peat, and pre-1970 homes may stand on wooden piles — since the 2026 appraisal rules, a foundation risk class (A–E) appears in every valuation, so check it before you bid, not after the deal is already emotional. Also, listings are scarce here, which pushes bidding above asking more often — decide your maximum before the viewing, not during it. Beyond that, the price gap with the rest of Haarlem is real, but so is the reason for it — walk the neighborhood at different times of day before committing.

None of these averages can tell you whether the specific house you found is fairly priced — that depends on its size, energy label, state of maintenance and the recent sales around it. That is exactly what a free HomeReview report checks, in about 10 seconds, for any Dutch address.

Frequently asked questions

Similar neighborhoods in Haarlem

Closest in price — worth a look if Van Schendelbuurt is out of reach or you want alternatives.