More than half of Romania’s residential property transactions are now financed through mortgage loans, with the share rising significantly over the past four years, according to an analysis by online mortgage broker Ipotecare.ro based on official data. Nationally, mortgage-backed purchases accounted for just over 57% of residential transactions in the first half of 2026.
In the Bucharest-Ilfov region, mortgages represented almost 59% of residential sales in the first six months of 2026, down slightly from nearly 63% in the same period of 2025, but well above the 50% recorded in 2022, according to calculations based on data from the National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration (ANCPI).
At the national level, the share of residential transactions completed through mortgage financing remained broadly unchanged from last year at just over 57%, compared with 43.5% in 2022, reflecting a stronger increase than in the Bucharest-Ilfov region.
According to the analysis, the nationwide increase in mortgage-financed purchases has coincided with rising home prices in recent years, making it more difficult for buyers to accumulate the funds needed for cash purchases.
The broker also noted that the number of registered mortgages includes refinancing loans. However, refinancings represented only 16% of the loans brokered by Ipotecare.ro this year, with the remaining 84% used to finance home purchases.
“The share of residential transactions completed through mortgage lending has increased and will continue to grow as young people from Generation Z become the main active economic force in the property market. […] The steady fall in mortgage interest rates and the launch of attractive products have also increased interest in mortgage lending,” said Laurențiu Bogdan, managing partner at Ipotecare.ro.
The number of homes sold in Bucharest and Ilfov in the first half of 2026 was 1.4% lower than in the same period of last year, while residential sales nationwide declined by nearly 9%, according to ANCPI data.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Tinnakorn Jorruang/Dreamstime.com)
Leave a Reply