BUYING AND SELLING HOMES - CYPRUS AT THE TOP OF THE EU - Filenews 11/7 by Theano Thiopoulou
The housing market in Cyprus continues its upward trend, recording one of the highest increases in real estate sales in the European Union. According to Eurostat data recorded on the website here, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=House_sales_statistics the number of dwellings traded increased by 13.6% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025, ranking Cyprus in first place among EU countries based on available data.
This performance is an indication that the real estate sector is maintaining its momentum and continues to support economic activity. Increased transactions translate into more market mobility, boosting a range of industries linked to real estate, such as construction, professional services, finance, and wealth management.
The positive image of Cyprus stands out in a European environment with different speeds. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of homes purchased decreased in 9 countries, with the largest decreases observed in Croatia (-42.2%), Bulgaria (-18.5%) and Finland (-11.8%). It increased in 7 countries, with the largest increases recorded in Cyprus (+13.6%) and Denmark (+8.4%).
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the number of homes purchased decreased in 4 countries, with decreases observed in Luxembourg (-31.3%), Croatia (-13.7%) and Portugal (-3.6%). It increased in 13 countries, with the highest increases recorded in Hungary (+23.5%) and Austria (+20.2%). In the third quarter of 2025, the number of homes purchased decreased in Croatia (-16.0%). It increased in 16 countries, with the highest increases recorded in Slovenia (+48.6%) and Hungary (+29.2%).
Old ones are one thing, new ones are another
The picture of transactions shows that the greatest mobility concerns existing dwellings. In the countries that provided detailed data on newly built and existing properties, the purchase and sale of existing homes exceeded the transactions of newly built ones, affecting the overall course of the market more.
This trend reflects the importance of the existing housing stock in meeting demand, while highlighting the importance of new construction activity to meet future needs. For newly built dwellings, the number of transactions increased the most in Luxembourg (+36.2%) and Hungary (+33.6%) and decreased the most in Finland (-22.3%) and Slovenia (-11.6%). For existing dwellings, the largest increase in the number of transactions was observed in Slovenia (+34.0%) and Lithuania (+23.0%) and decreased only in Croatia (-7.2%), Bulgaria (-5.0%) and Ireland (-0.4%).
According to data presented by Eurostat, house transactions in the euro area declined in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns, reducing the total value of houses held despite rising house prices.
Market activity rebounded significantly in 2021 and continued to grow in 2022, with house prices rising significantly in both years. In 2023, house prices decreased slightly in the euro area (-1.0%), but the total value of traded houses decreased very significantly (-19.2%) due to a significant decrease in the number of transactions in the majority of countries. In 2024, house prices increased by 2.2% in the euro area and the total value of traded houses also increased by +4.2%. In 2025, house prices in the euro area recorded a further increase of 5.3%, while the total value of traded houses also increased significantly by 16.5%.
