Housing sale at the Kiinteistömaailma office in Helsinki. October saw the highest number of home sales in Finland in over three years. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
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Finland recorded the highest number of residential property sales in October 2025 since September 2022, with used home transactions rising for the second consecutive month, according to new data from the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies (KVKL).
A total of 5,446 residential sales were registered in October, including 5,326 used homes and 120 new builds. This marks a 1.8 percent annual rise in used housing transactions. Year-to-date, housing sales are over 12 percent above 2024 levels.
Tuomas Viljamaa, CEO of the federation, said October exceeded September’s strong performance and confirmed that activity levels for used homes have returned to a pre-pandemic range. “We are now in a normal housing market situation when it comes to transaction volumes,” he said.
He described the past two months as “a strong signal” that the sector had passed its lowest point. According to Viljamaa, consumer confidence, supported by positive economic news, has driven the increase in housing demand.
“Announcements of icebreaker orders, cruise ship contracts and data centre investments have contributed to a better outlook. This can be seen in the growing number of enquiries and offers in the housing market,” he said.
Despite increased sales and modest price growth in October, transaction times remain longer than usual. Viljamaa warned that while prices rose after September’s decline, supply remains high and buyers have wide choice. Homes priced above market expectations continued to stagnate.
“In a functioning market, price means the level where both buyer and seller agree. In recent years, estate agents have played a crucial role in getting deals across the line,” Viljamaa said.
According to the data, the average price per square metre for used flats rose by 0.9 percent in both the capital region and other large cities. Oulu saw a rise of 5.4 percent, Turku 5.1 percent, while Tampere recorded a 4.5 percent fall.
Compared to a year earlier, average used flat prices in the capital region fell by 6.4 percent. In other large cities, the drop was 1.2 percent. Turku and Tampere recorded annual price drops of 2.8 and 2.7 percent, respectively. Oulu was the only major city to post an annual gain, up 1.1 percent.
October also saw an improvement in the average sales times of rowhouses in the capital region, which shortened by 12 days. Despite the improvement, most property types continued to have long selling periods. The average time to sell a used flat was 118 days in the capital and 133 days elsewhere. Detached houses took 133 days to sell in the capital and 144 days outside it.
Used studio flats in Helsinki sold in 93 days, compared to 105 in Espoo and 111 in Vantaa. Two-room flats took 123 days in Helsinki and 154 in Vantaa. Three and four-room units sold in 111 days in Helsinki and 155 in Espoo.
Sales activity by region showed continued concentration in the south. Uusimaa recorded the highest number of used home sales in October with 1,858 transactions, up 7.3 percent from 2024 and 31.2 percent compared to two years ago. Pirkanmaa followed with 589 sales, and Varsinais-Suomi with 497.
Among major cities, Helsinki saw the most used housing transactions at 768, up 10.3 percent from the previous year. Espoo followed with 317, and Tampere with 305. Jyväskylä saw the sharpest annual drop, with 119 sales, down 25.6 percent.
Sales of new homes remain low. Only 120 new dwellings changed hands in October, a 42.6 percent annual drop. Helsinki recorded 19 sales, Tampere 13, and Espoo and Oulu 12 each. The number of new builds sold is down over 75 percent compared to the five-year average.
Across the country, used apartment buildings made up 2,565 of October’s transactions. Rowhouses and duplexes accounted for 1,332, while detached houses made up 1,429. All figures showed a stable or slightly declining trend compared to last year, but were closer to long-term norms.
According to Viljamaa, further price increases are unlikely until transaction times shorten significantly. This will depend on a reduction in housing supply.
He also noted widening gaps in quality between housing associations. “A flat in a 1970s building with no major renovations completed is now a difficult sell,” Viljamaa said. “The difference between good and poor housing companies has grown.”
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
