Surge in house sales after buyers waited for lower registration tax

The first months of 2025 were busy days on the Flemish housing market: in Flanders, the number of sales rose by about 20 per cent compared to the same period a year ago. In Belgium as a whole, the increase was almost 16 per cent. The increase was largest in January and February; in March the figures stabilised once again.

Reduced registration fees are being credited for the jump, says notary Bart van Opstal, spokesman for Notaris.be. Since 1 January, registration fees in Flanders have dropped from 3 to 2 per cent. 'Buyers clearly waited to take advantage of that measure. On the purchase of a house, 1 per cent is a large amount.'

‘In addition, interest rates were at a low point, and it was more interesting to take out a loan,’ says the notary. 'Although interest rates have risen again since and the March figures are similar to those of a year ago'.

In East Flanders, sales rose the most sharply (+22.9 per cent), followed by Flemish Brabant (+21.2 per cent). In West Flanders, the increase was 18.7 per cent, in Antwerp 17 per cent and in Limburg 15.8 per cent.

According to Van Opstal, the fact that so many more houses were bought in East Flanders has to do with the popularity of Ghent. ‘There there are a lot of young people who want to buy,’ he said.

Houses get more expensive, price of flats stable

On average a house in Belgium cost 355,371 euros in recent months, and that is 8 per cent more expensive than in 2024. In Flanders, there was a smaller increase of 3 per cent. Here, an average of 379,737 euros was paid for a house.

The price of flats remained stable at 271,218 euros. In Flanders, the price even dropped to 279,332 euros, a slight decrease of 1.2 per cent.

Average price of houses (dark line) and flats in Belgium

Among the Flemish provinces, Limburg was the biggest outlier. The price of a house rose by 4.3 per cent there. In West Flanders, on the other hand, the price increase was smallest: a house there is now 1.2 per cent more expensive than in 2024.

Average house prices per province

It's a different story with regard to flats: West Flanders actually experienced a 5.6 per cent drop. 'That has to do with coastal flats. Prices on the coast went up tremendously last year, and we have seen a slight correction there now,' Van Opstal said.

Other provinces recorded slight increases, from 0.1 per cent in Limburg to 2.5 per cent in Flemish Brabant.

Average flat prices per province

More young buyers

According to Van Opstal, the fact that house prices are rising while flat prices remain stable has to do with young buyers. They in particular are said to have postponed their purchase to take advantage of reduced registration duties and low interest rates. ‘Young people are more likely to look for a house than a flat, and this higher demand leads to a price increase’ Van Opstal notes.