The beginning of the year marks a growing trend in Romanians' preferences for properties for sale compared to those for rent, compared to the previous year.

According to Storia data, the real estate platform launched by OLX, users made 56% more inquiries (interactions between users and those who publish ads) for properties for sale compared to the same month of the previous year.

Rental properties recorded only a 1% increase in interactions compared to January 2023 and a 15% increase compared to December 2023.

Interest in Sales and Rental Offers

User interest in properties for sale saw a significant increase in January 2024. Those looking for apartments for sale made 61% more inquiries on the platform compared to the same month last year and 33% more than in December 2023.

At the same time, interactions for houses for sale increased by 45% compared to January 2023 and by 32% compared to December 2023. Besides residential properties, there was a notable increase in interest in land.

Those interested in purchasing land made 13% more inquiries compared to January 2023 and 45% more than the previous month.

Additionally, the data shows a shift of buyers from land for sale towards apartments.

In January 2023, 14% of inquiries made on the platform were for land and 61% for apartments, whereas in the current January, 10% of inquiries were for land and 65% for apartments, while interest in houses remains relatively constant (26% of inquiries in January 2023 and 25% in January 2024).

Demand for rental apartments decreased in January 2024 by 7% compared to the same month last year but increased by 20% compared to December 2023. However, there was a significant increase in interest in rental houses (+136 more inquiries) compared to January 2023.

However, compared to the previous month, there were 10% fewer inquiries for rental houses. The data shows that those interested in renting a house made more inquiries in January 2024 (13%) vs. the same month the previous year (5%). Interactions for rental apartments evolved as follows: January 2023 - 95% of inquiries vs. January 2024 - 87% of inquiries.

Advertisements posted by agents and developers for properties for sale saw a 96% increase in inquiries compared to January 2023 and a 29% increase compared to December 2023.

At the same time, advertisements posted directly by owners saw increases in interactions by 13% compared to January 2023 but decreased inquiries compared to December 2023.

Regarding rental announcements, the number of interactions between seekers and agents and developers remained similar to those in January 2023 but increased by 18% compared to the previous month. Advertisements for rent posted directly by owners recorded a 35% increase in interactions compared to January 2023 but decreased by 29% compared to December 2023.

The analysis was conducted by Storia - the real estate platform launched by OLX, as part of the "Smart Way Home" initiative, through which the brand aims to contribute to the transparency of information necessary for all buyers, tenants, owners, agents, and developers, to support them in making informed decisions.