Real estate sales in January 2019. What the real estate market looked like in the first month of the year

Blog
15.02.2019
Real estate sales in January 2019. What the real estate market looked like in the first month of the year
15.02.2019

At the beginning of the year, we set out to make a statistic regarding the most sought-after types of apartments for sale in our agency's portfolio, regarding registered sales, but also the real estate market trend at the moment.

Preferences related to apartments for sale in Sibiu
We are often asked if buyers are more interested in apartments for sale located in new or old buildings. Given the statistics, we can say that the balance is in favor of those in the new residential complexes. That’s normal. The new apartments are getting better in terms of quality, the prices are much lower than the prices of old apartments and the guarantees offered by the developers are getting more extensive and more attractive. Of course, every customer wants to live in a brand new house where everything is new and within warranty.

Trends in sales and price margins
For example, in our agency alone, more than 60 real estate transactions were carried out. Most of them were registered in the new construction sector, and the offer of over 50 new residential complexes was perfect for the high demand coming from buyers.

The cheapest apartment sold in the first month of the year cost 25,500 euros and is located in a new residential complex. The most expensive property sold in January through the New Concept Living agency cost 145,000 euros, the latter being a house in a premium area of the city.
More than 60% of buyers used money from own sources, while the rest chose to pay for the purchase of a new property using a bank loan.

VAT reduced to 5%, news that boosts the real estate market
Both buyers looking for a new home and those who wanted to make an investment were happy to hear that the government allowed the purchase of several properties with 5% VAT by the same person. This has boosted the real estate market both locally and nationally. We were glad to see that there were also wise laws, meant to support the economy and maintain the flow of money within the market. This news has also boosted real estate developers and encouraged them to move forward with confidence.

Clients are looking to make good investments
More than ever, buying clients are on the hunt for good deals. We are glad to see that the buying customers are more and more demanding and wiser. Without a doubt, this „market awakening“ is closely related to the fact that the number of transactions concluded with people from outside Sibiu has decreased significantly. The people of Sibiu buy rationally. We can say this with joy.

Buyers are thinking of moving to an accessible area (here we have 3 access roads in Sibiu), they are thinking about the potential of the apartment for a possible resale, but also about the quality of the works or the reputation of the real estate developer.
In all these aspects, the EBS complex passes the test. January saw a significant increase in sales within the EBS real estate complex, an ideal project for investing.

Over 10 units were sold in this complex alone. At the moment, the EBS complex is also our recommendation. There is no better offer in terms of quality, location or developer reputation.

What analysts say about the evolution of prices in 2019
Some real estate analysts say that there are chances that 2019 will bring price increases in the real estate sector, due to the increase in the price of construction materials. Others say that due to the reduction in the budget allocated to the Prima Casă financing program, it is possible that prices will stagnate or even tend to fall. The NCL agency considers that 2019 will not bring major increases or miraculous reductions. The market will maintain its constant and good pace.

On the other hand, we are witnessing other gratifying phenomena: more and more foreigners (especially from German-speaking countries) want to invest in Sibiu. They always buy „smart“ and always choose good homes in terms of quality and location.

Photo credit: shutterstock.ro