KATE Quarterly Update: what are the takeaways from Q3?

Summer is behind us, and the final quarter of 2026 has begun. It is a good moment to look back—not with a long list of figures and forecasts, but by highlighting a few trends we have noticed over the past few months in conversations with our clients: appraisers, financiers, and investors.

For while much is changing in the valuation profession, we also observe that the need for one thing is actually growing: solid insight to arrive at a well-substantiated valuation.

The market is in motion, but not uniformly so

The commercial real estate market is showing renewed activity. According to CBRE, approximately €7 billion was invested in Dutch real estate in the first half of 2026—an increase of 36% compared to the previous year. At the same time, there are significant differences between sectors and individual properties. (cbre.nl)

This aligns with what we hear in the market. The picture is not simply positive or negative; it depends heavily on the type of real estate, the location, and the quality of the property.

For appraisers, this makes the work interesting but also more challenging. A general market overview is insufficient. Ultimately, it comes down to the specifics of the individual property and identifying the information relevant to properly substantiating its value.

Where is value created?

That question took center stage in September during our KATE Valuation Festival, an event that also marked KATE’s tenth anniversary.

We deliberately chose not to focus solely on valuation software that day. Instead, we invited people from outside the immediate valuation profession to examine value from their own unique perspectives.

What does good accessibility mean for an area? Why do people feel a connection to one place but not another? How do livability and community impact the attractiveness of real estate?

This yielded various answers, but—more importantly—raised new questions.

For us, that was perhaps the afternoon’s most important conclusion: value is not created in a spreadsheet. Of course, models, benchmarks, and data are indispensable. But behind those figures, there is always a building, a location, and a user.

That may sound obvious, but with the ever-increasing availability of data, it is important not to lose sight of that fact.

Data also took center stage this quarter.

We saw this trend at PROVADA in June, and the conversation continued into Q3: an increasing amount of information is becoming available to appraisers.

That is a positive development. The easier it is to access relevant data, the less time an appraiser needs to spend searching for, gathering, and transcribing information.

However, we also notice that this raises a new question: which data do you actually need?

After all, more data sources do not automatically result in a better valuation. Ultimately, the value lies in the combination: reliable data, robust models, and an appraiser who knows how to interpret that information.

In our view, this represents a significant development for the profession. Technology should not simply generate more information for its own sake; instead, it should help us gain better insights more quickly.

And now, Q4.

In the final quarter of the year, we will continue to monitor market developments and what they mean in practice for commercial and agricultural real estate appraisers.

We will be looking at factors such as the transaction market, trends across various real estate segments, and new opportunities to use data more intelligently within the valuation process.

We are also keen to hear what is on the minds of appraisers themselves. What challenges do they face in their daily work? What information are they missing? And which tasks still take up an unnecessary amount of time?

After all, advancements in technology and data should ultimately help address this.

It is not about adopting technology simply because it is possible, but about providing better support so that you, as a valuer, can do your job effectively.

That is the mindset we are carrying forward from Q3 into the final quarter of 2026.

Erik Schlooz, CEO KATE Innovations
Rutger Janssen, Director Business Development KATE Innovations