Home Sales in Europe: Where Did They Rise Most in 2025?
Poinews.com – The European housing market experienced a rebound in 2025, driven by rising property values across much of the continent. Despite the upward trend in prices, several nations saw significant increases in home sales, with some reporting growth exceeding 20%. According to Eurostat, sales figures varied widely, from a 4.1% drop in Croatia to a remarkable 29.9% surge in Slovenia.
Strong Growth in Key Markets
Belgium, Austria, and Lithuania all achieved over 20% annual sales growth, marking them as standout performers. Other countries, such as Luxembourg, Hungary, and the Netherlands, recorded double-digit increases, with figures ranging from 10.5% to 18.6%. Even nations like Denmark and France saw modest but steady gains, with France reporting 11.2% growth.
“Residential property transactions are mainly influenced by mortgage affordability, interest rates, household incomes, employment, consumer confidence, and housing supply,” explained Mikk Kalmet, a real estate advisor at Global Property Guide.
Smaller markets, including Slovenia, Lithuania, and Hungary, demonstrated particularly strong upward momentum, though percentage changes in these regions may appear more dramatic due to their lower base numbers. Kalmet highlighted that the stabilization of Euribor and other bank interest rates played a key role in the market’s recovery.
Contrasting Trends in Major Economies
Among Europe’s largest economies, Spain and France provided notable insights. Spain’s home sales increased by 5.4% in 2025, while France reversed a previous decline, showing positive growth after a downturn in 2024. In contrast, Croatia and Bulgaria faced sales declines, with Croatia seeing a 4.1% drop and Bulgaria a 2.5% decrease.
Croatia, a top tourist destination, continues to struggle despite rapid price hikes. House prices there rose by 14.3% between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026, the fourth-largest increase in Europe. Rents climbed even faster, surging 39.1% over the same period. However, this trend was offset by a fourth consecutive year of declining sales, making Croatia the only nation to report declines in both 2024 and 2025.
Supply Constraints and Recovery
Kalmet emphasized that high construction costs and limited building activity remained barriers to increasing housing supply. These factors, combined with improved financing conditions, contributed to the broader recovery seen in the EU. As uncertainty eased by late 2024, buyers who had delayed purchases gained confidence, leading to a resurgence in market activity.
France led the 14 countries with available data, with over a million homes sold in 2025. Meanwhile, Slovenia, despite having the highest sales growth, saw the fewest transactions, at just 11,000. The Netherlands and Hungary followed, with sales numbers hovering around 130,000 to 160,000.
