To get straight to the point: for you as a customer there is actually no difference.
Both organizations are a trade association of realtors with strict training requirements to be able to call yourself a realtor and / or appraiser.
The trade association submits guidelines to the realtor and policies about his way of working and acting. An NVM or VBO affiliated realtor is heavily supported by the trade association through for example up to date working documents, market information, a legal service, collective procurement of services, continuing education / re-certification, courses, disputes committee, meetings, etc.
But what is really the difference?
The NVM is the largest trade association in the Netherlands with approximately 4,300 members. The VBO is the second largest trade association in the Netherlands with approximately 1100 members.
The NVM is the market leader and refuses to share data from their transactions (their database). However, VBO has built up a virtually comparable database with all historical housing transactions, so that there is hardly any difference anymore.
A big difference for the realtors is that the NVM currently sets the training bar a lot higher than VBO. Generally, passing the so-called ‘subject test’ is quite a tough task that you cannot pass just like that. The threshold for starting your own real estate agency is also very high: € 15,000 entrance fee at the NVM compared to only € 1,500 at the VBO. The costs for the annual recertification is for a realtor at the NVM approximately € 500. At the VBO that is about half of that.
The Funda rates are a bit more expensive for the VBO realtor than for the NVM people because Funda is owned by the NVM. It differs per VBO realtor whether they pass on this difference to their customer or not.
Because the VBO does not set the financial and training bar unnecessarily high for its members, VBO realtors can (with the emphasis on ‘can’) be a bit more competitive in terms of rates.
Below all differences in a schematic overview:
| NVM | VBO | |
| Own legal service | Yes | Yes |
| Disputes Committee | Yes | Yes |
| Disciplinary Court | TCML | |
| Education | Training as a Candidate Register Realtor-Valuer (duration approx. 2 years) possible with several trainers. | Theory training (duration 2 years) with the practical training for realtors + practical training for realtors (duration half a year) |
| Register | -Real estate certificate register for real estate agents. | -Real estate certificate and / or the SCVM register for real estate agents. |
| Annual recertification | By means of approx. 2 course days per year via SVMNIVO. Costs approx. €500,- | Via the “Permanent Education (PE) provided by VBO. Costs approx. €250,- |
| Start your own real estate office | Only possible after passing the Practical test, success rate is very small. Costs: € 15,000 entrance fee. | Possible with a K-RMT diploma with the condition that you complete the practical training within 3 years. Costs: € 1500 entrance fee. |
| Trade | Not allowed for real estate agents to own in homes trade (buy, grow, sell) | No restrictions are given. |
| Search email | Searchers will see homes 1-2 days earlier than that they are on Funda. | Search mail is parallel to Funda. |
| Database | Largest database with historical file (“de exchange’) | Almost covering database with historical file linked to land registry and almost all homes sold. |
| Political lobby | Yes | Yes |
| Costs Funda | NVM charges a higher rate to VBO brokers (price discrimination) | |
| Support with laws and regulations | Yes | Yes |
| Member portal | Yes | Yes |
| Collective advertising | Very active (radio, TV) | Limited collective advertising |
| Member meetings | Yes | Yes |
Extra disclaimer:
Finally, an extensive ‘disclaimer’, namely that this information has been carefully compiled but may deviate from facts or changes. It is and will always be good to do proper research into the facts yourself, for example by consulting the websites of the above-mentioned authorities.