The cost of housing in new developments in Italy has fallen for the first time in eight years, while the secondary market has continued to grow. This indicates a polarization of the Italian real estate market: buyer demand remains strong, but new properties are becoming more sensitive to construction costs, mortgage conditions, and regional differences.
According to Global Property Guide, citing statistics from the European Central Bank, prices for new housing in Italy fell by 1.16% year-over-year, or by 2.29% when adjusted for inflation. This marked the first annual decline in prices for new-build properties in eight years. At the same time, prices for existing homes rose by 5.15% year-over-year, or by 3.95% in real terms.
This gap indicates that the market is responding to different factors. The secondary housing market is supported by limited supply, demand in major cities, and buyer interest in completed properties. New-build properties, on the other hand, are more heavily influenced by construction costs, completion dates, mortgage rates, and buyers’ purchasing power.
According to idealista, in April 2026, the average price of existing housing in Italy rose by 0.8% month-over-month, reaching €1,906 per square meter. On an annual basis, growth was 5%, and 2.7% for the quarter. This confirms that the decline in the new-construction segment does not signify a general downturn in the entire Italian real estate market.
The situation also reflects a structural problem in the Italian market: the supply of new housing remains limited, while demand is concentrated in the strongest locations—Milan, Rome, tourist regions, and cities with a high quality of life.
For buyers, falling prices for new-build properties may open a window of opportunity, especially in regions where developers are willing to make concessions. However, in Italy’s most sought-after cities, housing affordability remains a challenge. The Guardian noted that in Milan, real estate prices have risen by 38% over five years, and the city is becoming a magnet for wealthy foreigners thanks to tax incentives and quality of life.
For foreign buyers, the Italian market remains attractive thanks to a combination of quality of life, tourism potential, tax regimes for new residents, and a wide selection of properties—from city apartments to homes in small towns.
However, the new-construction segment is becoming more heterogeneous: in some regions, prices may fall due to weak demand, while in others, they remain high due to a shortage of modern properties.
About 65% of all home purchase deals in the new-build market are concluded under installment plans offered by developers, while the share of purchases with full payment varies between 25% and 60%, according to the results of a survey of Ukrainian developers conducted by Interfax-Ukraine.
“Before the full-scale invasion, the percentage ratio of methods of purchasing residential real estate at Alliance Novobud was as follows: 25% – full payment, 65% – installment plans from the developer, 10% – bank mortgages. As of today, this ratio has changed: 10% – full payment, 65% – installment plans from the developer, 25% – partner mortgages, “єОселя” (єHome), ‘єВідновлення’ (єRecovery),” said Irina Mikhaleva, SMO of Alliance Novobud.
According to her, the share of the developer’s apartment sales under the state affordable mortgage program “єОселя” accounts for up to 15% of the total. Transactions with “єВідновлення” certificates are rarer – 1-2 transactions per quarter.
In the sales structure of the DIM group of companies, about 65% of transactions are accounted for by its own installment programs, 30% are concluded with full payment, and only 5% are under the “єОселя” program.
“DIM joined the ”єОселя” program last year, and immediately about 30% of all inquiries to our sales offices were related to this program. Of these, about 10% turned into actual deals. In 2025, the number of requests among buyers of comfort-class housing for “YeOselya” increased to 40%, and more than 25% turned into actual deals. However, there are still barriers to increasing volumes due to limited credit resources,” said DIM managing partner Alexander Nasikovsky.
City One Development reported that the share of installment deals is significant in both comfort-class and business-class projects, reaching 70%.
“The market has become more diversified. Buyers choose not only based on price, but also on convenience, stability, and long-term guarantees. Installment plans from the developer have become a key tool for most of our clients, regardless of the class of housing,” explained the developer’s press service.
However, although the share of 100% payment deals is decreasing, one-bedroom apartments are still mostly purchased with full payment.
“In general, the share of 100% payment deals is decreasing, which is natural in an unstable economy when most buyers are looking for more convenient and predictable financial solutions. On the other hand, one-bedroom apartments, as before, are mostly purchased with full payment. This is typical for investors or those who have a clear financial plan and want to fix the price at the start of construction or get the maximum benefit,” City One Development noted.
According to Anatoliy Kovrizhenko, sales director at Intergal-Bud, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the number of deferred payment agreements with the developer has increased by approximately 15-20%.
“This is due to buyers’ desire to maintain liquidity, spread the financial burden over time, and minimize their own risks,” he explained.
At the same time, agreements under the “eOselya” program account for 15% to 35% of Intergal-Bud’s total sales, depending on the month, Kovrizhenko added.
Meanwhile, the Kovalskaya group notes an increase in the share of full payment for housing during the construction phase.
“We have a clear trend: more and more people are choosing to pay in full at the construction stage. While in 2023 such agreements accounted for just over 20%, in 2024 they will account for almost 30%, and in the first half of 2025 – over 50%. This indicates growing confidence in reliable developers and investors’ desire to lock in the price per square meter at an early stage,” the company said in response to a request from Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the company, the state program “eOselya” is also showing positive dynamics: in the first half of 2025, it accounted for 25% of all developer deals, which is 2.5 times more than in the second half of last year.
A significant share of transactions with full payment was also reported by the company “RIEL.” As noted by Zoryana Zemlinska, coordinator of the sales departments of “RIEL” in Kyiv, in Kyiv projects, about 50% of transactions are concluded with full payment, and in Lviv, this figure is even higher—60%.
The developer also noted a positive trend toward purchasing housing through the “єОселя” program.
“The trend towards purchasing housing with the help of the state program ”єОселя“ continues. If in 2022 we had a total of 5% of deals under the ‘єОселя’ program in Kyiv and Lviv, then in 2025 this figure will increase to 13%,” Zemlinska said.
The total area of new residential and nonresidential buildings as of the start of their construction in 2018 totaled 16.706 million square meters. According to the report, the total area of residential buildings at the beginning of construction in 2018 was 12.874 million square meters, or 77% of the total new construction. Including, apartment buildings accounted for 96.7% (12.442 million square meters), single-apartment buildings accounted for 3.2% (417,600 square meters), and dormitories 0.1% (13,760 square meters).
According to statistics, nonresidential facilities, which began to build in 2018, accounted for 23% of the total new construction, or 3.8 million square meters.
Thus, the area of new construction of warehouses and industrial buildings in 2018 amounted to 974,600 square meters (25.4%), retail real estate 648,900 square meters (19.9%), buildings for public speeches, educational institutions, medical and recreational institutions 429,800 square meters (11.2%), hotels and restaurants 355,800 square meters (9.3%), and office buildings 244,400 square meters (5.9%).
Data for 2017 is not available due to the introduction of the new statistics by of the State Statistics Service.
