Real estate market recovered
napi.hu, 06.10 – According to Q3 2020 data the real estate turnover in the Hungarian market has already recovered. Judged by the analysis of a major real estate agency the number of sales in these three months was the same, about 38 thousand, as in July-September last year. The company expects a balanced market in the last quarter of the year and the same activity as last year, which could mean 34-35 thousand sales.
According to data published by the company, 2,708 properties changed hands in September nationwide, and buyers took out residential mortgages worth HUF 75 billion. Although real estate sales fell short of September by about 5 percent year-on-year, the entire quarter saw no sign of the previous decline, and the market now shows the intensity of a year ago.
According to the company, the mortgage loan market is also showing signs of recovery, as the estimated volume of HUF 75 billion is the same as last year’s central bank data, and the market performed well on a quarterly basis, too. In the third quarter of this year, people spent a total of nearly HUF 225 billion on housing loans for residential purposes, based on estimates and central bank data.
Coronavirus: a new age dawning on the property market
Napi.hu — The Coronavirus pandemic and the declaration of state of emergency have brought about an almost instantly perceivable change on the property market, too. There are no signs of a wide-spread and significant price decrease as yet, but there may be more and more “good buys” appearing on the market in the near future.
Personal visits will be replace by informative and relevant online advertisements and the role of real estate agents will gain importance, too.
Demand has decreased over the past few weeks but supply has increased. Also, buyers have a wider bargaining span because those who really want to sell their properties can count on 10-15 per cent less potential buyers than before the crisis.
Another reason of the decrease in demand is that some buyers postpone their purchase and “rubbernecks”, who have less serious purchase intentions, may also vanish from the market. Those who are still in the market as buyers have serious intentions and strive for a quick and effective transaction.
Apartment market: price hike stalled?
Napi.hu, 30 April 2019 – Although the annual rate of increase of apartment prices has fallen, there is still a significant hike exceeding 20 per cent in Budapest, according to the latest survey published by the National Bank of Hungary.
In Budapest, the Q4 2018 the annual acceleration rate of prices was slightly slower but still strong at 22.9 per cent. The latest apartment price index shows a slower nominal annual rate of increase of 18.2 per cent for country towns, which exceeds the figure for the previous quarter.
In small settlements, the nominal price hike was 2.3 per cent, 13 percentage points less than the national average, which indicates a further increase of the difference between smaller and larger settlements.
That said, according to the summary report published by the National Bank of Hungary, the nominal price increase was only 0.2 per cent on average in the fourth quarter of 2018, while the annual rate of increase was 15.2 per cent, compared to 16.2 per cent in the previous quarter. The national average of apartment price increase was 11.6 per cent. In Q4 2018 the national average of real price increase was 11.6 per cent.
Budapest residential property market may slow down
Napi.hu, 30 July 2018 – In the first half of 2018 there were 6517 apartments built in Hungary, 30 per cent more than in the same period of the previous year. The number of residential units under planning was 18,066, 8.9 per cent less than in the first half of 2017. The number of planning approvals issued in Budapest decreased by 27 per cent. 50-50 per cent of residential properties are still built by private persons and companies, respectively.
54 per cent of apartments created in a new building are located in houses, 36 per cent in condominiums and 6.2 per cent in gated residential communities.
The average floor space of apartments is 101 square metres, an increase of 5 square metres from the previous year. The number of apartments planned reduced by 27 and 3.5 per cent in Budapest and in county centres, respectively, and increased (by 17 per cent) in other towns and cities only.
Government super weapon apparently missed its target
napi.hu 4 July 2018 – The end of the preferential 5 per cent VAT rate will put an abrupt end to the housing boom and result in a brutal price increase of newly-built apartments. The almost 25 per cent price hike will have a serious effect on instalments paid for new apartments, new construction projects and on new developments after 2020, said to portfolio.hu based on a radio interview with Mihály Varga finance minister.
Varga reminded that the term of the Preferential VAT Act runs between 2016 and 2019 and that the government decided to forego significant tax income to further its demographic goals. However, 10 per cent of new apartments are bought by foreigners in Budapest, which means the benefit is exploited by real estate investors which is not what the government was aiming to achieve.
How long can the rally last?
napi.hu 15 January 2017 – Hungarian construction industry output is growing fast. According to market analysts, however, the number of restrictive factors is growing, too. A poor 2016 performance meant a very low base which supported a spectacular relative increase in 2017. Development projects financed by the EU and residential construction drive the industry forward. Growth is set to continue in the next few months: the volume of orders in November was 110 per cent higher than a year before. That said, a lack of workforce and the resulting increase of expenses pose significant problems for construction companies. Also, the future of the discounted VAT rate levied on residential projects is still not clear and if the reduced rate is cancelled the willingness to start new projects may decrease.