In September 2021, prices of apartments (new and old) for sale in Romania remained, overall, at a relatively constant level compared to the previous month. According to the Imobiliare.ro Index, the average amount requested nationwide by sellers stood at €1,507 per usable square meter, down 0.1% from €1,508 per usable square meter in August 2021.
“Five of the six major cities constantly monitored by Imobiliare.ro recorded increases in average listing values in the apartment segment, with the most significant margin of increase observed in Iasi. The exception to the rule is Brasov, where the general downward trend was sustained exclusively by the new housing segment,” says Daniel Crainic, Imobiliare.ro marketing director.
During September, prices of apartments available for sale in Bucharest recorded an overall advance of 0.9%, from an average of 1,569 euros per usable square meter to 1,583 euros per square meter. Owners’ expectations were higher only in the segment of houses in old blocks, which appreciated by 2.2%, from 1,489 euros per square meter to 1,522 euros per square meter. On the other hand, residential units in new housing developments saw a decrease of 0.2%, from €1,621 to €1,617 per square meter.
In Brasov, however, the Imobiliare.ro Index recorded an overall 0.7% decline in apartment prices, from 1,442 euros per usable square meter at the end of August to 1,432 euros per square meter at the end of September. However, there was a positive development in the case of dwellings in old blocks: an increase of 0.6%, from 1,342 to 1,350 euros per square meter. At the other end of the scale, new homes in Brasov saw a decrease of 1%, from €1,546 to €1,531 per square meter.
The increase in asking prices reappeared in Cluj-Napoca, where apartment sellers’ expectations increased by 0.6% during September, reaching an average listing value of €1,985 per usable square meter, up from €1,973 per square meter at the end of August. In the city on the Somes, house prices in old blocks increased by 1.6% (from 1,965 to 1,996 euros per square meter), while units in new complexes fell by 0.5% (from 1,983 to 1,974 euros per square meter).
In the first month of autumn, the average listing value of apartments for sale in Constanta rose by 1%, from €1,347 per usable square meter to €1,360 per square meter. Prices increased in both market segments analyzed, but to a different extent: old apartments appreciated by 0.2% (from 1,338 to 1,341 euros per square meter) and newly built rental units by 1.9% (from 1,360 to 1,386 euros per square meter).
An above-average advance of 3.6% in September occurred in Iasi, where from an average of €1,131 per usable square meter, asking prices rose to €1,172 per square meter. During the period under review, house prices in old blocks increased by 2.1%, from 1,130 to 1,154 euros per square meter. In the segment of newly-built apartments, on the other hand, there was a more significant increase, of 4.7% to be precise, from an average of 1,131 euros per square meter to 1,184 euros per square meter.
In Timisoara, the average listing value of an apartment rose overall by 0.6% during September, from 1,349 to 1,357 euros per usable square meter. In the segment of old houses available for sale on the Timisoara market, prices rose by 0.5%, from 1,347 to 1,354 euros per square meter. Newly built housing units, on the other hand, appreciated by 1%, from 1,357 to 1,371 euros per square meter.
Edited for English