Real Estate: Housing sales down 4.3pct in Bucharest and Ilfov, in Q1, and 4.9 at country level 

More than 13,200 houses and apartments were sold in Bucharest and the surrounding area in the first three months of the year, down 4.3% compared to the same period in 2024, according to an analysis by the real estate consultancy company SVN Romania based on statistics from the National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Advertising (ANCPI).Over 11,200 homes were traded in Bucharest in the first quarter, down 5.4% compared to the same period last year, while 1,960 homes were sold in the Ilfov County, up 2.4% compared to the first three months of 2024.The different annual variations between the two areas can also be explained by the decrease in the number of new homes completed in Bucharest, simultaneously with the delivery of an increasing number of homes in the surrounding localities of the capital city."The first quarter of 2025 was a good one for the largest residential market in Romania, despite a 4.3% lower result compared to the same period last year, in a context in which the beginning of 2025 was marked by socioeconomic uncertainties but also by a prolonged period of holidays at the beginning of the year. The decrease in supply, corroborated with a demand that remained at a high level, led to even higher pressure on transaction prices. However, potential buyers seem to have already adapted to the new prices, the affordability of buying a home still remaining at a good level," commented Andrei Sarbu, CEO of SVN Romania.Approximately 18,000 new homes could be completed in Bucharest and its surroundings this year, according to SVN Romania, a level as low as that recorded in 2024, when the capital region saw the lowest number of homes delivered in the last five years.Almost 37,000 houses and apartments were sold in Romania in the first three months of this year, down 4.9% compared to the same period last year. Most residential units were transacted in Constanta, Cluj and Timis, official statistics also show.