Property developer Ömer Yildiz is transforming a monumental canal house on the Nieuwe Gracht in Haarlem into six spacious, luxury apartments. When the building unexpectedly became available, he wanted to be able to act quickly. Pearl Capital provided the financing for the purchase and transformation.
The work is now in full swing. The demolition and stripping phase has been completed and two apartments have already been sold. Ömer talks about the potential of the building, the collaboration with Pearl Capital and his plans for the future.
“I fell in love with the building as soon as I saw the inside. In terms of numbers, there aren’t many apartments, but in terms of size it’s beautiful. You have to look at the monumental features, the ceiling heights and the details.”
On his first visit, Ömer immediately saw the possibilities. The monumental canal house is being transformed into six apartments ranging from 93 to 229 square metres, aimed at the upper segment of the market.
Structurally, the building also turned out to have a solid foundation. The foundations were replaced around ten years ago. In addition, the basement has been lowered by half a metre, creating a standing height of approximately 2.50 metres. This means this space can also be used as a fully-fledged residential floor.
When the building came onto the market, Ömer already had projects underway in Leersum and Amsterdam. To seize this opportunity as well, he needed a financier who could provide clarity quickly and at the same time understood the specifics of the project.
Through a business contact, he got in touch with Pearl Capital. In our assessment, we looked not only at the property, but also at the transformation plan, the intended sale of the apartments and Ömer’s extensive experience in the construction and real estate sector.
Thanks to direct contact and short lines of communication, Ömer quickly knew where he stood. The financing made it possible to purchase the building and get the transformation off to a flying start.
“After that, things moved very quickly. The trust in each other’s knowledge and expertise was there, partly thanks to my track record.”
The floor structures have now been reinforced, and fire separations and insulated interior walls are being installed. Next, the installers will get to work on electrics, ventilation, heating and pipework.
The shell is expected to be completed in mid-March 2027. This will be followed by the finishing work, which will take around two to three months. Full completion is scheduled for summer 2027. There is already interest in the project: two of the six apartments have been sold.
Ömer looks back positively on the collaboration. In addition to suitable financing for this project, a business relationship has been established that can be built upon in the future.
“Now that a business relationship has been established, it is much easier to approach each other for future projects.”
For Pearl Capital, that is the essence of a good collaboration: understanding the entrepreneur and the plan, communicating clearly and quickly providing insight into what is possible.
Ömer Yildiz has more than twenty years of experience in the construction and real estate sector. After studying Building Engineering at HTS, at the Academy of Architecture and Real Estate & Housing at TU Delft, he started his own firm for structural advice and building inspections. In 2014, he sold this firm and focused entirely on property development.
His projects range from small-scale property splits to large-scale transformations. Recently, he developed a project with 56 apartments in Utrecht.
Do you want to act quickly when purchasing, refinancing, renovating or transforming commercial real estate? Pearl Capital looks at the property, the entrepreneur and the potential behind the plan.
Our quick scan gives you fast insight into the financing options for your project.
On Thursday, 29 oktober 2026 we will host another live knowledge session for investors. Will you join us? Sign up now!
