Good news: Home sales speed up in Hungary, selling time of panel buildings halved, Duna House says

In recent months, there have been conflicting reports about the current state of the domestic real estate market: while some sources reported brisk sales, others observed stagnation. According to Duna House’s latest analysis for the first quarter of 2025, both phenomena are true: the market has become markedly two-speed in the capital and in the provinces.

The dynamics of the real estate market vary significantly by segment and region. While modern, well-located and competitively priced apartments found buyers quickly, the sale of poorly priced, outdated or harder-to-finance properties may continue to take significantly longer.

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In the case of prefabricated apartments in Budapest, the average selling time fell to 69 days, which is almost half of the 127 days recorded in the same period last year. This segment has “accelerated” even though, according to information from Duna House at the beginning of April, interest in prefabricated apartments in the capital has decreased compared to 2024.

Further interesting facts:

• Budapest brick-and-mortar apartments saw a 21% acceleration to an average turnover time of 111 days, compared to 142 days previously.
• The average acceleration compared to the figures from a year ago is much more moderate in the countryside, at only 11%.
  o The average turnover time for panel flats in the countryside is 93 days, which means that they spend almost one month longer on the market than panel flats in the capital.
  o For brick-built flats in the countryside, the average turnover time is around 127 days, which is also a slight decrease compared to the previous period’s figure of 141 days.
  The differences are therefore not only significant but also trend-setting: the selling time of well-priced properties in popular locations has shortened significantly, leaving the market for poorly priced or outdated properties virtually untouched. However, this difference may not only be influenced by pricing.
  “Energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important factor. Better-rated properties therefore have an advantage, as buyers are increasingly looking for energy-efficient properties due to rising utility costs. Creditworthiness and the financeability of the property are also decisive factors, meaning that apartments that are less risky from a banking perspective are selling quickly,” emphasized Péter Szegő, PR and analysis expert at Duna House.
  In addition, infrastructure and accessibility are also important: properties close to schools, workplaces or public transport hubs sell faster. Suitability for the target group is also a decisive factor: smaller, easily rentable apartments are particularly popular among investors, so they change hands more quickly.

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