Tuesday, 28 July 2026
The share of residential transactions completed through mortgage lending has increased significantly in recent years, both nationally and in the Bucharest–Ilfov region, according to an analysis carried out by the exclusively online broker Ipotecare.ro, based on official statistics.
Accordingly, the total number of mortgages registered in the first six months of 2026 in Bucharest and Ilfov reached a share of almost 59% of total residential sales, down from almost 63% recorded in 2025. The share of transactions completed through mortgage lending has increased significantly in recent years, with a ratio of only 50% recorded in 2022, according to Ipotecare.ro calculations based on data from the National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration (ANCPI).
The increase in property transactions completed through mortgage lending was even more pronounced nationally: mortgages registered in the first half of this year represented just over 57% of all residential transactions recorded in Romania in 2026, a percentage similar to that of 2025, but much higher than the share of only 43.5% recorded in 2022.
The sharper increase in transactions completed nationally through mortgage lending occurred against a backdrop of significant rises in house prices in recent years, as well as lower accumulation of personal resources compared with those recorded in the Bucharest region.
At the same time, it should be noted that the total number of registered mortgages also includes refinancings, although their number declined in 2026 compared with the peaks recorded during 2023–2025. For example, only 16% of the loans brokered by Ipotecare.ro in 2026 were refinancings, with the remainder being new loans intended for property purchases.
“The share of residential transactions completed through mortgage lending has increased and will continue to grow as young people from Generation Z, currently aged under 30, become the main active economic force in the property market. The number of mortgages has also increased as a result of rising house prices in recent years, with capital accumulation possible to a lesser extent. Finally, the steady fall in mortgage interest rates and the launch of attractive products have led to increased interest in mortgage lending,” explained Laurentiu Bogdan, Managing Partner at Ipotecare.ro.
The number of homes sold in the first six months of 2026 in Bucharest and Ilfov was only 1.4% lower than the figure recorded in the first six months of 2025, while nationally there was an annual decline of almost 9% in residential sales recorded in the first half of this year, according to ANCPI data.
