FAQ

To qualify for an affordable home set to be delivered between 2025 and 2030, you will have to meet basic mortgage requirements, including age, income, and creditworthiness.

Represented by The Great Initiative for Homes the process is simplified, resulting in great value when securing the optimal affordable finance package for your home.

Start by registering as a crowd-developer and follow the plan “Your New Home in 8 Steps” outlined on the homepage. This will guide you through the necessary steps, from initial registration to the final delivery and exchange of your new home.

If you cannot secure the proposed mortgage by the time you reach step 5, “Ensure Affordable Financing,” your position will be offered to other crowd-developers on the waiting list. In that case, you receive a compensation for your position that may exceed your contributions to date.

The Great Initiative for Homes, based in Rotterdam, has a team of experts and innovators dedicated to tackling the housing crisis through sustainable solutions, making homes affordable, and home ownership much more attainable. We see this being the most urgent opportunity to the challenges of today, being climate crisis and socio-economic inequality. We work with scientist, established manufacturers and government to optimize the framework for standardization, digitalization and resources.

Crowd-development is the new way to group homeseekers in projects of scale that usually are taken on by project developers. The success of the initiative fully depends on the number of crowd-developers. For once there is enough interest in any given area, it becomes possible to unlock matching sites needed to start projects. From there, building applications require approval. This takes what it takes, and the duration varies per project. Greater transparency, and the involvement of the future residents contribute to speed up the process. Finally, the instant on-site assembly of buildings is what we’re all eagerly awaiting and what our supply chain are best known for to master.

For now, 98,000 homes is the agreed target for production and delivery between 2025 and 2030. To secure your place, it’s crucial to sign up already. Being one of the first on the list increases your chances of getting a home in this initial phase. We will gladly onboard everyone who is looking for a new home and will strive to accommodate larger production capacities with our supply chain.

Yes, you can cancel at any time by logging into and deleting your account. You will no longer receive proposals for project sites in the regions of your choice. Your listing spot will be forwarded to another crowd-developer.

Yes, you can change your information and preferences by logging into your account. You can change information and preferences until the time when you are making the reservation for your plot or unit in a project. You will receive additional information by that time as to any possible changes you may have beyond that stage.

With your first step of registration and while you are receiving proposals for project sites you can change the settings in your account. Once you have reserved a plot or any time thereafter you can contact our customer services team via the contact page. They will be happy to assist you with any further queries and to resolve the issue at hand.

Once you are registered we will group your preferences with other crowd-developers who have indicated the same region’s of interest. We are working to identify many proejct sites where building applications are possible, and where the prospect of zoning changes are positive. As we progress there will be a good selection of site opportunities that we will regularly inform you about.

The Great Initiative for Homes is the way to make project development as simple and safe as possible for crowd-developers. On each step of the way we will do our best to make sure that all agreements are understood and approved by every signing party. In collective purchase negotiations and during preparations, The Great Initiative for Homes will be representing the groups of registered crowd-developers. They will arrange and prepare all collective agreements with vendors of land, producers of homes and service providers for mutual appraisal. This includes mortgages and required insurance coverage directly with the financial institution. Contracts related to securing project sites, mortgages and exchange will be executed by a notary public.

Once the project site is contractually secured exclusively, you will be required to make the payment for your reservation. With your payment, your reservation will be allocated. You will receive information from the notary public about the registration of the agreement in the cadastre.

With sufficient crowd-developers having made a reservation on a project site architects and urban planners will receive information about preferences and budgets to prepare a project design and to allocate the best way to divide the available square meters in plots for houses and units for apartments. The proposal that is selected by the group will be further developed in detail. This process will allow for limited changes and requests from crowd-developers.

Each project will be shared with architects and urban planners to interpret crowd-developers preferences and budget indications in order to provide between 3 and 5 different interpretations. The project design with the highest score will be further detailed. A further 2-3 design options will be offered to select. At this stage you will be able to start configuring your own house or apartment.

The Great Initiative for Homes coordinates every step of the process, from engineering and obtaining building permits to ordering, production planning, and assembling all components, up to the final completion and delivery of your home. Construction is a joint effort involving a network of trusted partners. Depending on the location, different arrangements may be needed to achieve the best value for money. To provide confidence and uphold high standards, each project is professionally managed, insured, and comes with a comprehensive guarantee, similar to traditional professional contracting.

To achieve the large-scale production and assembly of affordable, quality homes, the building process is engineered for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and further enhanced by digital work-flow innovation. Structural insulated panels are manufactured off-site in factories, minimizing material waste and ensuring better quality control. This method results in reduced construction time and less dependence on weather conditions compared to traditional techniques. Optimized transportation to the sites further lowers environmental impact. The integrated systems make all buildings highly energy-efficient, generating and storing more energy than they consume, which translates to lower utility bills and a reduced environmental impact. The modular construction approach allows for the reuse or upcycling of materials, aligning with circular economy principles and further minimizing your home’s carbon footprint.

The innovative modular production process offers substantial time and cost savings. The streamlined supply chain and swift assembly reduce costs and shorten construction time, allowing you to move in sooner. Additionally, the use of high-quality, eco-friendly materials ensures your home is built to last, with lower maintenance costs and superior energy efficiency.

Follow this link to explore an example of the construction method: https://sustainer.nl/

As a crowd-developer, you’re guided throughout each step, ensuring you’re well prepared to secure your mortgage on favorable terms. In the Netherlands, residents are eligible for a mortgage. There are two main criteria to qualify. First, you need to demonstrate a stable income that is sufficient to cover your monthly mortgage payments and repay the loan over its duration. Second, the loan amount should be proportionate to the value of your home (collateral). Additional requirements may vary depending on the mortgage provider.

All costs are based on estimated average market prices for each step. We leverage the power of collective purchasing and negotiate advantages that crowd-developers represent when working together. This approach ensures better quality, faster timelines and optimal value for money.

At each step, you will first receive an agreement to review and validate. Once you have given your consent, you will receive an invoice with detailed payment instructions for transferring the amount due. This ensures transparency and allows you to manage your payments efficiently.

Obtaining a building permit is a legal process with many requirements and potential obstacles. While our expert team is well-equipped to navigate these challenges and strive for a successful outcome, there is no upfront guarantee that permission will be granted. In the unlikely event that consent is not given, you will be prioritized for another development of your choice. All payments made up to that point will be credited towards the new project.

In any project development, there are risks regarding the financial stability of associated parties, including crowd-developers, production companies, service providers, and The Great Initiative for Homes. To mitigate these risks, we have contingency plans with alternative parties ready to step in if a partner defaults. Additionally, we require partners to have insurance coverage for key risk factors, ensuring continuity and stability for the project.

The Great Initiative for Homes is a crowd-development platform focused on making home ownership more accessible and sustainable. Our mission is to enable future homeowners to participate directly in the development process while collaborating with leading companies that prioritize environmental responsibility, innovative practices, and social impact.

The Great Initiative for Homes selects partners and suppliers who demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability, including reducing carbon emissions, minimizing environmental impact, and promoting circularity. We work with organizations that align with our values and have established practices for ethical sourcing, efficient production, and responsible waste management.

The Great Initiative for Homes is committed to progressing towards high standards in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. We continuously seek to work with partners who lead in sustainability and ethical business practices, and we are actively developing our own strategies to enhance our ESG performance. Our goal is to create long-term value for communities and stakeholders while minimizing our environmental footprint.

The Great Initiative for Homes operates as a scalable platform that leverages the strengths of its partners, rather than building a large internal team. This model allows us to remain agile and focus on expanding our network of collaborators who meet high ESG standards. By connecting with top companies and innovators, we aim to extend our reach and impact across multiple regions while maintaining our commitment to sustainable and responsible development.