BNP Paribas Cardif offers security in an overheated housing market with property data from Matrixian
Interview with Guido Wassink, Head of Sales & Business Development at BNP Paribas Cardif
Bidding without a safety net becomes the norm
The Dutch housing market has been overheated for years. Especially first-time buyers and young movers are consistently missing out and are taking increasingly greater risks to secure a home. Making offers without a financing contingency is becoming more common, with potentially disastrous financial consequences. To better protect these vulnerable groups and give them a fairer chance in the housing market, BNP Paribas Cardif developed an innovative product: Bieden met Zekerheid (Bidding with Certainty).
The idea stemmed from signals in the field, says Guido Wassink, Head of Sales & Business Development at BNP Paribas Cardif:
“We were hearing from mortgage advisors that clients—particularly young people—were making increasingly opportunistic and risky offers. It was only a matter of time before something went wrong.”
How ‘Bidding with Certainty’ works
Bidding with Certainty is an insurance policy that helps buyers who feel compelled to bid without a financing contingency to do so in a safe and responsible manner—without risking the typical 10% penalty of the purchase price if financing falls through. In such cases, BNP Paribas Cardif guarantees payment of the penalty to the seller.
But how does it actually work? The mortgage advisor calculates the maximum responsible offer amount based on the buyer’s financial situation and the expected property value. This amount is then recorded in the Bidding with Certainty certificate, enabling the buyer to bid safely and without risk.
If the purchase doesn’t go through, BNP Paribas Cardif absorbs the financial consequences and pays the penalty. The client only pays a one-time fee of €850 if the purchase is successful. Wassink explains:
“Even if you place 18 bids as a buyer, you only pay once—when you make the winning bid and actually purchase the home.”
The crucial role of property data
A key element of Bidding with Certainty is the expected value of the property. With the help of Matrixian’s property data, this value can be determined with high accuracy. Combined with the client’s financial details, it defines the maximum bid amount.
“If the value is estimated too low, the client won’t stand a chance. They’ll have a certificate, but their offer simply won’t be competitive,” Wassink explains.
“On the other hand, if the property value is overestimated, the bank might not approve the mortgage. In that case, everyone loses: the buyer misses out on their dream home, the seller has to relist, the advisor gets no compensation, the agent starts from scratch, and we as the insurer foot the bill. Nobody wants that.”
A realistic and reliable property value is therefore essential. Only with a well-founded and achievable bid does the buyer have a real chance. The value must not be too low, but also certainly not too high. Only then can the maximum bid amount be responsibly determined.
AVM integration: fast, reliable and user-friendly
Thanks to Matrixian’s Automated Valuation Model (AVM), the property value is now instantly and automatically available within the Bidding with Certainty tool’s online environment. “An advisor can see the value of the home within seconds and immediately request the certificate,” says Wassink. “That’s exactly what we needed: speed, reliability, and ease of use.”
The API integration with Matrixian was realized within just a few weeks. “The integration was quick and cost-efficient. Within weeks, everything was fully operational in our online environment. The property valuations are accurate and reliable, so we’re very satisfied with the collaboration.”
More certainty for buyers, more trust in the market
According to Wassink, the responses to Bidding with Certainty have been overwhelmingly positive. “We’re seeing that 42% of people who use the certificate end up successfully purchasing the home. Selling agents also indicate that they take such offers more seriously. It’s no longer just about the highest bid, but the strongest bid—and who is best prepared.”
The product also helps buyers stay within clear limits. “For the first time, clients know exactly how much they can safely bid,” says Wassink. “That prevents emotional overbidding without knowing whether it’s even feasible. Especially in a market where you sometimes can’t even view a home without making a bid first, this really makes a difference.”
Bidding with Certainty is quickly gaining popularity. Thanks in part to Matrixian’s property data, it provides buyers with security, advisors with convenience, and the housing market with a much-needed counterbalance to opportunistic behavior.
