Belgian Home Prices Rise as Property Transactions Fall

Belgian residential property prices increased 2.1% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, even as the number of transactions involving existing homes fell 11%. The value of secondary-market deals declined 7.6%. Price growth and market liquidity are therefore moving in different directions. Belgium has not entered a nationwide price correction, but a rising house-price index should not be mistaken for a market where every seller can find a buyer quickly.

Existing Homes Lead, New-Build Prices Decline

Statbel’s second-quarter House Price Index recorded annual inflation of 2.1%, up from 1.9% in the previous quarter. The index rose by just 0.1% quarter on quarter. The division between new and existing housing was much sharper: existing dwellings gained 3.9% over the year, whereas new housing declined 3.2%. Existing properties carry 73.5% of the overall index weight in 2026, compared with 26.5% for new dwellings.

Chart: annual house-price inflation in Belgium by property type, Q2 2026. Source: Statbel, 25 September 2026; International Investment visualisation.

Statbel rebased the index to 2025=100. The overall reading reached 100.78 in the second quarter from 100.65 in the first. This measure controls for changes in the characteristics of homes sold and differs from an average or median transaction price. A shift toward larger or more expensive homes can raise the median sale price without producing an equivalent rise in the quality-adjusted index.

Transactions and Sales Values Contract

Separate Statbel data on the secondary market show an 11% annual drop in the number of real estate transactions in the second quarter and a 7.6% fall in total transaction value. Against the first quarter, sales volumes slipped 4.5% and value 6.7%. These figures confirm weaker activity in the market for existing dwellings, but they do not identify whether the principal cause was mortgage costs, owner decisions, inventory or a particular regional mix.

For property investors, fewer transactions can translate into greater uncertainty over selling time and exit pricing. Yet the national volume index does not reveal the discount on an individual sale. Local comparables, property condition, energy-efficiency ratings and financing availability remain essential when evaluating an asset.

Brussels Remains Far More Expensive Than Wallonia

Statbel’s first-half transaction statistics put Belgium’s median apartment price at €257,000. The corresponding median was €285,000 for attached and semi-detached houses and €402,400 for detached homes. Those figures describe completed transactions rather than the asking price of a representative property, and the composition of sales can change over time.

Regional differences are substantial. The median for an attached or semi-detached house was €550,000 in Brussels, €325,000 in Flanders and €195,000 in Wallonia. Existing-home prices rose 4.4% year on year in Flanders and 3% in both Brussels and Wallonia in the second quarter. International Investment’s earlier comparison of what €300,000 buys in Brussels illustrates how strongly purchasing power depends on commune, location and property characteristics.

Pricing Resilience Is Not the Same as Liquidity

Belgium’s market now displays three distinct signals: moderate overall price inflation, stronger gains in existing homes than in new builds, and weaker secondary-market transactions. Investors assessing exit liquidity should not rely on price indices alone. Rental income, energy upgrades, taxes, expected selling time and realistic comparable-sale data matter when judging whether a property offers an attractive risk-adjusted return.

The new figures support updating International Investment’s existing Belgian house-price article rather than creating a competing URL. The old version discussed the final quarter of 2025; retaining that context while adding the latest quarter and the transaction data gives readers a more complete picture of what changed during 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How fast did Belgian house prices rise in Q2 2026? The overall Statbel House Price Index increased by 2.1% year on year.

Why are new homes falling in price? New-dwelling prices decreased 3.2% over the year while existing-home prices rose 3.9%.

What happened to property transactions? Secondary-market transaction numbers fell 11% year on year and total transaction value declined 7.6%.

What is the median apartment price in Belgium? The median price recorded for the first half of 2026 was €257,000.