New apartments may flood the market
napi.hu, 04.11.2017 – A leading real estate expert said as a result of the 5 per cent preferential VAT rate that is expected to expire in 2019 the number of newly built apartments will become available on the market in the next couple of years will exceed even today’s figures.
There is an apartment construction boom in Hungary which, apart from the reduced VAT rate, is also due to CSOK, the Family Home Allowance. On a year-on-year basis the number of new apartments completed grew by 50 per cent in the first three quarters of 2017. The average price per square metre in Budapest, the Western and Eastern regions of Hungary is approximately 650-700k HUF, 360-400k HUF and 350-380k HUF, respectively. The differences are even greater for pre-owned apartments: these properties are three times more expensive in Budapest than in other parts of the country.
Surprising news re: Family Home Allowance (CSOK)
napi.hu, 29.08.2016 – Hardly anyone has bought a new home using the Family Home Allowance (CSOK) yet, despite the fact that more than ten thousand applications have been registered so far. At the same time, the price of new homes has increased way beyond expected and reasonable levels since the new scheme was announced. Estate agents say they have “not seen a living soul who had actually bought a new home using an approved CSOK application”. Home prices surged since the introduction of CSOK, but a larger number of new houses and apartments at CSOK-conform prices and floor spaces will be completed next year only. Another handicap of CSOK applicants is that cash buyers are quicker to pay and snap up the best deals.