Property 13 February 2026, 10:56am

Although the number of sales contracts does not yet give cause for optimism, according to data from the zenga.hu real estate search portal, apartment seekers returned by the end of January, according to the company's announcement.

"The last time fewer residential properties changed hands in a month than in January this year was in mid-2023, but in terms of the number of property inquiries, there was already a pick-up in the second half of the month," said Péter Futó, head of analysis at zenga.hu. Real estate agents associated with zenga.hu also noticed the typical wait-and-see attitude at the beginning of the year, but

they expect a strengthening in the rest of the year.

When asked how they perceived January compared to their previous expectations, two-thirds of respondents said they sold fewer apartments and houses than they had anticipated.

However, salespeople are more optimistic about the future, with less than 10% saying they will sell fewer properties this year than last year, and 60% of those surveyed believing that this year will be stronger than last year.

Last year, roughly 130,000 residential properties changed hands nationwide, which is considered a moderate amount based on the experience of the past ten years.

This year, the upturn has begun. Our data shows that potential buyers are mainly looking for properties that meet the conditions of the Home Start program, and there is now greater interest in rural areas," said the expert from zenga.hu.

Whether this year will indeed be stronger than last year will depend on factors such as government support programs, economic performance, income and interest rate trends, and investor behavior.

According to a survey conducted among users of zenga.hu,

interest in the Home Start program remains high, especially among 25-35 year olds,

while the number of new homes being built has also begun to rise as a result of the program. In addition, the Housing Capital Program may also give a boost to the launch of new developments, the effects of which will already be felt this year.

According to expert forecasts, GDP growth this year may exceed the average of previous years, while experts expect interest rates to fall during the rest of the year, even though the housing market is currently clearly dominated by the Home Start program's fixed 3% mortgage rate.

However, the surge in sales is countered by the significant rise in housing prices in 2025,

which has resulted in prices outpacing the strengthening purchasing power of potential buyers and remaining very high in real terms, i.e., relative to inflation," said Péter Futó, adding that any tightening of the Home Start program would have a negative impact on the real estate market boom, and that any increase in geopolitical uncertainty could also indirectly have a negative impact on buyers' confidence in the future.

According to the expert at zenga.hu, location, condition, and pricing are particularly important in the current market environment. Well-located, high-quality, well-priced apartments are expected to continue to perform well on the market this year, but demand for overpriced, poor-quality apartments in less desirable locations will be low.

Cover photo (for illustration purposes only): Getty Images