Secondary housing grows at a discount – Business – Kommersant

Despite the gradual recovery in demand, the secondary real estate market has not yet been able to return to price growth: over the month, average prices slightly decreased in most large locations. To attract potential buyers, sellers are increasing the discount, the average size of which in Moscow has already reached 15%. Such a policy of owners, together with an increase in the availability of mortgages and the end of the holiday season, contributes to the revival of the market and an increase in the number of transactions, but analysts do not expect an increase in prices in the coming months.

The average cost of secondary real estate in 18 key regional markets of Russia (16 million-plus cities, Moscow and Leningrad regions) in August amounted to 121.2 thousand rubles, having decreased by 0.04% compared to the previous month. Such data is provided by CIAN.Analitika, indicating that in 14 of 18 locations the dynamics is less than 1%. In “Etazhi” the average cost of secondary real estate in Russia as a whole is estimated at 92.8 thousand rubles. per sq. m, for the month the figure decreased by 0.25%. Avito does not see any pronounced dynamics, noting a slight decrease in prices only in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod.

CIAN.Analytics experts the most pronounced negative trend in the secondary market noted in Krasnodar: over the month, the average rate here decreased by 2.4%, to 115.5 thousand rubles. per sq. m. In St. Petersburg the decrease was 0.9%, to 204 thousand rubles. per sq. m. In “Etazhi” they note a decrease of 0.85% per month in average prices for secondary real estate in Khanty-Mansiysk, up to 105.1 thousand rubles. per sq. m.

Simultaneously In Permaccording to the calculations of CIAN.Analytics, the cost of secondary housing has increased over the month by 2.1%, up to 82.6 thousand rubles. per sq. m. In Ufa analysts estimate price growth at 1.1%, up to 100.7 thousand rubles. per sq. m. In the “Floors” noticed an increase in housing prices in Saratov – by 0.45% per month, up to 65.02 thousand rubles. per sq. m.

within the borders old Moscow analysts of the company “Inkom-Nedvizhimost” recorded cost reduction secondary housing by 1% per month, up to 278.7 thousand rubles. per sq. m. In New Moscow, the dynamics is less pronounced – minus 0.1%, up to 203.4 thousand rubles. per sq. m. But the real cost of implementation, according to the director of the secondary market of the company “Inkom-Nedvizhimost” Sergei Shloma, is adjusted significantly: the average discount is now 15% of the declared price, maximum – 20%. Such a policy stimulates sales: in the first half of August, demand was 30% higher than in the same period in July, the expert says.

“The market is overheated, and in order to sell your object, you need to lower its cost to the real one, which is minus 15% of the prices two months ago,” says Mr. Shloma.

He calls the realizable scenario positive: thanks to discounts, the market quickly found the bottom and was able to return demand. Another factor in the recovery of sales, the expert believes the gradual return to the mortgage market. If in June 15.5% of deals were made with borrowed funds in Moscow, now their share has increased to 32.1%, he says.

In the regions, the positive dynamics of demand is not yet so pronounced. Alexey Popov, head of CIAN.Analytics, speaks of an increase in the activity of platform users in the first half of August in the largest regional markets of the country by an average of 15% compared to July. Sergey Khakhulin, head of secondary real estate at Avito, adds that a more pronounced increase in demand is noticeable in the segment of one-room apartments. But the dynamics of growth in the volume of supply now still exceeds the pace of recovery in consumer activity, said Ildar Khusainov, director of Etazhi. This factor, according to the expert, largely restrains the rise in prices.

In 18 locations under consideration, according to Alexey Popov, 218 thousand offers are now presented, which is 6% higher than the previous month. “But the rate of growth is slowing down – earlier we were talking about an increase of 9-16% per month,” he recalls. Mr. Popov notes that the supply is growing both due to the long exposure period and due to the gradual return to the market of proposals that the owners removed in the spring. In Old Moscow, the existing volume of secondary supply exposition, according to analysts of Inkom-Nedvizhimost, exceeds the level of August last year by 52.2%, in New Moscow – by 26.3%. Experts do not record growth at the moment.

Sergey Shloma expects that the secondary real estate market in Moscow will be active for another three months, during which the deferred demand accumulated since the spring will be realized. Then we will talk about current sales, which are still difficult to predict.

“If demand remains at current levels, then the price will stabilize and the market will function normally, but if it sags, the cost of housing will be under pressure,” the expert explains.

He does not rule out that prices for secondary housing in Moscow may fall by another 15%.

Aleksey Popov predicts that prices will remain stagnant in the next two months in general: “Owners do not have the opportunity to raise offer prices against the backdrop of low demand, but they are not ready to provide large discounts, since they often use the funds received to purchase new housing.” Ildar Khusainov makes a similar forecast, noting that demand may grow at the same time. In addition to the general stabilization of the situation and seasonality, the activity of buyers is positively influenced by the expansion of choice and the growth in the number of liquid properties on the market.

Alexandra Mertsalova