Transactions increased by 20% at the end of last year, according to data from Century 21. Enough to restore optimism to individuals and professionals after a year marked in particular by the drop in inflation.
Published on 07/01/2025 12:10
Reading time: 1min
The real estate market finally seems to be picking up again. Sales have been on the rise again since the summer of 2024, according to figures from Century 21, and particularly at the end of the year: we recorded 20% additional transactions, or nearly 800,000 sales for the whole of 2024 , compared to 900,000 in 2023.
Several reasons: the slowdown in inflation, the drop in prices, around 4% for houses on the national territory for example, but also that of borrowing rates, which had exceeded 4% in 2023. A positive dynamic, who knew how to bring a smile to the faces of sellers, real estate agencies and buyers.
Coline and her partner begin their research at the beginning of 2024 to buy in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis)but borrowing rates are way too high. “The bank told us that we could have a rate of 3.75% over 15 years,” she says. Enough to put the project on hold, and then the couple sees the months go by and the rates drop. They finally signed their purchase last November. “The rate we currently have is 3.2%, so there has been a drastic drop in our case. The fact that we know that rates are falling really pushed us to buy now”continues Coline.
Especially since with this drop in the borrowing rate, they were able to reduce their repayment period by a few years. And this recovery is also felt among professionals: in its real estate agency in Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne)Sabine Ficheux signed 77 sales in 2024.
“Over the last quarter, we noticed an increase of 10%. With three sales aside, we are at a level almost identical to 2023.”
Sabine Ficheux, director of a Century 21 agency in Fontainebleauat franceinfo
Beyond the relaunch of purchasing projects, she noticed a real dynamic on the sellers' side. “We have signed quite a few mandates over the last two months, she adds. The sellers also understood that they had to lower their sales price, and so when we managed to make the sellers understand that the housing was too expensive today, we managed to reach an agreement.” between sellers and buyers. A drop in prices which gives Sabine Ficheux hope for a good start to 2025.
