Demand for primary housing in Ukraine in the first half of 2025 was 50-60% lower than supply, according to the press service of Kovcheg Developer.
“The average volume of construction in Ukraine in the first half of the year increased by 30% compared to the same period in 2024. However, despite the activity of developers, the actual number of deals in the primary housing market is significantly, by 50-60%, lower than supply,” Viktor Kozachok, co-founder of Kovcheg Developer, told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the expert, the main thing holding things back is still the uncertainty caused by the war. On top of that, there’s inflation, currency fluctuations, and low incomes, which all make it harder to decide to buy a home.
At the same time, demand for new homes isn’t spread out evenly.
According to Kovcheg Developer’s estimates, the largest share — about 40% — falls on the western regions: Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and Zakarpattia. More than 25% of requests for primary housing are concentrated in Kyiv and its suburbs.
Approximately 15% of buyers choose Odesa and its surroundings. Other regions account for only about 20% of demand. An expert named the main factors influencing buyers’ decisions to purchase housing in new buildings. In first place is the safety of the region and the residential complex.
People are actively interested in the level of protection against rocket attacks, the availability of bomb shelters or individual security rooms in residential complexes. Other criteria are the same as before 2022: the pace and quality of construction, technical characteristics and infrastructure of the residential complex, prices and purchase mechanisms.
“Buyers are interested in recreational infrastructure, summer and winter leisure opportunities, service packages, etc. In addition, the desire to live in conditions of ”social comfort“ is important — we call this ”escaping from megacities.” Therefore, conceptual projects with unique infrastructure facilities and scenic features, as well as a flexible service model, are more attractive. For many, future real estate is a “spare airport,” a private resort, and a source of income all at once,” Kozachok emphasized.
As for developers’ pricing policy, it is influenced by rising prices for construction materials and services (by an average of 10-12% since the beginning of the year) and fluctuations in the currency market. According to the company’s research, prices for high-quality comfort and business-class properties under construction in Ukraine currently range from $1,200 to $2,500 per square meter.
At the same time, citizens are increasingly interested in the possibility of receiving passive income from income-generating properties and “resort” apartment hotels, with investments in such projects potentially yielding 7-11% annual returns in dollar terms.
The expert drew attention to the regional features of the primary market. In particular, the western regions are characterized by the construction of individual, conceptual projects with unique architecture and services.
“The west of Ukraine is characterized by the development of new innovative formats that are on the borderline between ‘resort real estate’ and housing. These are multifunctional residential complexes with self-sufficient infrastructure for recreation at the level of the best hotels,” he said.
Among the examples, he cited so-called “vertical” resorts with multifunctional roofs and unique infrastructure facilities, as well as income-generating buildings with flexible use options (in the “live-rent” format).
In his opinion, traditional multi-apartment construction remains relevant for the capital and other large cities with a concentration of industrial facilities, but taking into account modern requirements for living safety, energy efficiency, and construction quality.
“The main things that can unite modern housing are concept, safety, comfort, quality, and infrastructure,” Kozachok summed up.
Kovcheg Developer is a construction company founded in 2018. The company specializes in the construction of modern business-class residential and apartment complexes. The company’s portfolio includes eight completed projects with a total area of 17,000 square meters of residential and commercial construction in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. Several projects of various formats are currently under active construction: Logos Home Apartment residential complex (Yaremche), Kardamon Resort & SPA investment project (Bukovel), Grono Family Resedence residential complex (Polianytsia), Parkova Dolyna residential complex (Dolyna), Kovheg Residence cottage town (Polianytsia), and others.
In 2024, Kovcheg Developer began construction of Bright House duplexes in the village of Żabia Wola (Grodzisk County, Mazovia Province, Poland).
By 2028, the company plans to start construction of about 10 residential projects and commercial real estate properties with a total area of over 80,000 square meters.
