Real estate bounced back in 2025, especially in Wallonia and Flanders

Belgian real estate is bouncing back with 2025 described as a “historic” year, according to the latest notaries’ barometer. 

The annual publication noted a 14,2% increase in sales in 2025, compared to 2024, RTBF reports.

The property market last year was particularly buoyant in Wallonia (+16,7%) and Flanders (+14,1%) due to their reduction of registration fees on first home property purchases introduced in 2025.

This sharp increase in sales was notable as they had declined in the two previous years (-0,7% in 2024 and -15,2% in 2023). The rise was all the more significant as the number of sales only rose by a total of 11% over the past five years.

The highest increase in property acquisitions was in the provinces of Walloon-Brabant and Luxembourg, where they exceeded 20%.

More houses than apartments were acquired in 2025, except in Brussels where apartments were more frequently purchased, the barometer also indicated.

This increase was accompanied by a rise in prices with greater demand for new or already renovated properties. Given that prices vary according to supply and demand, it was not surprising that this rise had driven prices upwards, RTBF noted.

The average price of a house in Belgium is currently €348,800, almost 6% more than in 2024, while the average price of an apartment today is around €277,927, an increase of 2,4%.

Brussels remains the region where houses are the most expensive. In 2025, they were sold for an average of €582,930 (+2,2% compared to 2024). Flanders followed with an average of €380,655 (+3,6%).

While being the cheapest region, Wallonia has witnessed a “historical” increase in housing prices with an average of €270,790 (+13,4% compared to 2024). Luxembourg was the province most affected by the increase: +14,1% (€295,009)

Today, buyers are favoring properties with a certain level of energy efficiency. “Buying a property is very good. But if it means renovating it at significant cost, you obviously need to think carefully about what you’re getting into”, explains Renaud Grégoire, notary and spokesperson for Notaire.be.

“And today, we see that the most sought-after properties on the market are obviously those that have already been renovated or are relatively recent, for which buyers don’t have to plan major renovations”, he added.

This renewed interest in higher-quality property is also explained by the fact that banks are becoming increasingly demanding in their lending criteria, said Grégoire. They now “require buyers either to budget for energy-efficient renovations or to directly purchase properties with high energy efficiency, which are inherently more expensive.”

While the reduction has clearly boosted the real estate market in Wallonia, it’s not yet clear that it has y benefitted young people. 

It’s still a bit too early to draw conclusions, according to Grégoire, who adds that we are seeing “more and more people returning to cities, often with a slightly younger profile of people than in the past. It’s not yet very significant, as it represents roughly 1% of apartment purchases,” he acknowledges.

Photo: ©Notaire.be