In Moscow, they began to actively buy up apartments: who became interested in the capital’s real estate

Expert: “Trying to sit on two chairs”

Moscow realtors record an unprecedented demand for apartments in the capital. After a lull that lasted from February, buyers “woke up” and began to hastily look for real estate in the Mother See and make deals. Experts explained to MK what happened and whether it is worth following the example of capital property hunters.

– In the second half of August, the demand for “secondary” and ready-made apartments in new buildings increased sharply. There were one and a half times more buyers than in July, and it would seem that summer is the “dead season,” Ruslan, a realtor from one of the major real estate agencies, told MK. And now this demand is increasing.

– What is the reason?

– It’s not just that the sellers did and continue to do discounts. Potential buyers, who, having savings in hand, waited, now finally made up their minds. Some have adapted to life in the new environment. Those who wanted to leave the country have already left. But there are those who left, and then returned and decided that they still see their future in Russia. A couple of my past clients were going to buy an apartment in Moscow in February, but in the spring they changed their minds and set their sights on Europe – Bulgaria, Montenegro. Now they are again asked to choose options for them here. After all, it is known in what situation the Russians now, who have real estate over the hill, will be taken away. Yes, and prices in Europe have skyrocketed, but in our country – on the contrary.

Real estate broker Eugene notes that now, in September, buying activity has already returned to the level of last year. According to him, over the past month, the demand for apartments in Moscow increased by an average of 15-20 percent. At the same time, apartments of medium and low price categories are most popular. The expert sees the reason for the growth in demand for “secondary” in the concessions of sellers.

– Those who resisted to the last and did not reduce the price, still gave up. When your apartment has been on the site for two months and no one even calls you, you willy-nilly think about a discount. The discount reaches up to 15 percent, explains Eugene. – Moreover, even the mortgage “woke up”. If at the beginning of the summer almost no one was interested in such an option, now mortgage transactions are being made again, although not in such numbers as in previous years.

What about new buildings?

– This is a separate issue. The market for new buildings this summer was oversaturated. Developers in the current conditions are already having a hard time (small construction companies, unable to cope with the difficulties, have already begun to suffer losses), and with the lack of demand, the situation turned out to be completely bleak. Now developers are grabbing for each client. So their prices are also falling slightly, and it is possible that by the end of the year they will be significantly lower than they were originally set. I even heard such a forecast from my colleagues that apartments in new buildings will be sold at cost. In my opinion, this is unlikely to happen, but a significant price reduction is possible.

– That is, if there are plans to buy a new apartment, it is better to wait until the end of the year?

– Is not a fact. How the situation with real estate will develop, no one can predict one hundred percent. Everything will depend on a number of factors – the ruble exchange rate, sanctions, and so on. But based on the realities that exist now, we predict that prices will fall. True, there is a segment that, most likely, this trend will not affect. This is an elite housing in the center of Moscow or in prestigious areas. There, the price bar has been kept since spring, because there will always be a buyer for such an apartment. These are “one-piece offers” for those who have been least affected by the economic crisis, and, by the way, recently such apartments have been bought not only by the moneybags remaining in Russia, but also by wealthy relocators. So, one of my clients, a well-known journalist, moved to Israel in the spring, but this did not prevent him from coming to Moscow in August and buying an apartment here inside the Garden Ring – he celebrated his housewarming and left back. Another buyer, an IT specialist, moved to Germany due to the departure of his employer from Russia, but at the same time he is selling his apartment in Dolgoprudny and wants to buy a three-ruble note in a new building in the South-West. In general, such people try to sit on two chairs.