Young buyers boosted real estate sales in Belgium during first quarter

17 April 2025

In the first three months of 2025, Belgium saw a jump in real estate sales, according to the notary federation Fednot. Bart van Opstal, a Fednot spokesperson, explained that more young buyers are entering the market thanks to lower registration fees and a drop in interest rates.

Sales by region

Real estate transactions rose by 15.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. In Flanders, sales increased by 19.1 per cent and in Wallonia by 12.5 per cent. In Brussels, the growth was smaller at 1.2 per cent.

Van Opstal said that "the revival is mainly due to the reduced registration fees." He noted that in both Flanders and Wallonia, the fees for buying a home for personal use dropped. He added, "A second important element is that around the turn of the year, the interest rate on mortgage loans reached a low point. This is, therefore, an additional stimulus that explains the increase in transactions."

Young buyers are driving the demand for houses, which in turn is pushing up prices in that part of the market. The average price of a house in Belgium went up by 7.8 per cent to 355,371 EUR. In Flanders, prices increased by 3.3 per cent to 379,737 EUR, while in Wallonia, prices jumped by 17.8 per cent to 281,069 EUR. Brussels remains the most expensive, with an average house price of 589,280 EUR (+3.4 per cent).

Apartment prices remain stable

Apartment prices stayed stable overall at an average of 271,218 EUR. In Flanders, there was even a small decline of 1.2 per cent, mainly due to a significant drop in West Flanders (a decrease of 5.6 per cent). Van Opstal explained that this is because apartment prices on the coast, which had risen sharply last year, have now corrected.

Van Opstal also mentioned that the real estate boom was strongest in January. "If we look at March, we see that the peak has almost run out with transactions that are almost at the same level as March last year," he said. "That has to do with the interest rates that have risen considerably again in the meantime by almost half a percentage point. That has a braking effect, especially among young buyers."

^{© PHOTO LAURENS VAN PUTTEN / HOLLANDSE HOOGTE / ANP}

Related news