The Bucharest-Ilfov region will attract over a third of new mortgage loans granted nationally in 2025, with the market set to exceed the EUR 5 billion threshold, according to a report by online broker Ipotecare.ro and financial consultancy SVN Credit Romania.

In total, over 76,000 new mortgage loans for purchase could be granted in Romania this year. Considering the housing sales estimated by SVN Romania for 2025, transactions carried out through credit will have a share of approximately 45% of the total residential market, 55% of which will represent transactions carried out exclusively from own funds.

After Bucharest-Ilfov, most mortgage loans will be granted in Banat (Timiş, Arad, Hunedoara, Caraş – Severin and Mehedinţi), approximately 12.7% of the national total, especially due to the high lending volume in Timişoara, followed by the Centru–Crişana-Maramureş region (Cluj, Bihor, Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Bistriţa-Nasaud and Sălaj), with an estimated share of approximately 10%.

The estimated average value of a mortgage loan in Romania is approximately EUR 65,700.

The experts discussing Romania’s real estate market during the “Market Growth Projections” panel discussion held at CEDER 2025 conveyed a sense of underlying strength and significant growth potential. Panellists highlighted fundamental factors that position Romania as an attractive market for long-term investment.

One perspective shared is that Romania is currently at an earlier stage of development in certain sectors. Miroslav Tavel, Managing Partner of OPC Holding, suggested that this perceived lag can be viewed positively: “You can see that there are so many opportunities compared to the region and the regional countries. […] Romania is underdeveloped in a lot of kinds of businesses.”

Several panellists pointed to strong fundamentals as a basis for future growth. Silviu Toma, Executive Director, Project and Corporate Structured Finance at Raiffeisen Bank stated, “We have potential, we have fundamentals” and believes the investment market should be significantly larger. Joao Saracho de Almeida, Managing Director of Solida Capital Europe agreed, saying “the fundamentals are here, […] are very strong”. He also noted growing market sophistication and increasing consumer income as positive drivers and concluded: “Clearly the market growth is for people that will be focused on offering this distinctive factor in terms of location, sophistication, in terms of architecture and offer in terms of what [are], let’s say, the solutions in the real estate component. But I clearly see a big appetite from international companies to bring and add their grain of sand to the market.”

Yields were also cited as a draw for international investors. While some questioned the yield differential compared to Poland or Germany, Joao Saracho de Almeida maintained, “there is definitely a motivation for people to come to Romania”.

Miroslav Tavel added to the factors contributing to the positive outlook in Romania, saying: “I think that Romania has a lot of advantages compared to the other markets in the region and there is cost, land availability, also the entrance from […] new tenants and the relatively underserved secondary cities.” Other benefits include increasing urbanization and investment in infrastructure.

Although acknowledging current challenges, the overall sentiment suggests that Romania’s real estate market offers substantial potential for those adopting a strategic, long-term approach. As Anca Merdescu, Head of Investments, Square 7, part of M Core put it, “Of course, it’s very important for Romania to keep a sound macroeconomical situation, to keep its European values. If we do that, I think the growth story will continue.”