Finland saw more housing sales in October than during any month over the past three years, according to the Federation of Real Estate Agency, an industry advocacy and lobby group.
It said the last time the housing market was more active was in September 2022. The federation also noted that last September's sales tally also exceeded levels seen over the past three years, but those figures were again surpassed in October.
According to the federation's director, Tuomas Viljamaa, two consecutive months of improvement indicates that the housing market is changing for the better.
He suggested that consumer confidence has been boosted by news of big industrial projects, like the US icebreaker deal, cruise ship orders, as well as data centres.
According to the federation's figures, 5,326 old-stock apartments were sold in October, a 1.8 percent increase over the same month last year.
However new home sales remain weak, with only 120 freshly built homes sold last month, around 42 percent less than in October 2024.
According to the federation's data, there was an overall 12 percent increase in housing transactions this year, compared to 2024. It said that old home sales are starting to approach pre-pandemic levels.
The time it takes to sell a home remain at an historic high, however, with average sales times ranging from 118 to 144 days, depending on the property and location.
The federation's data is based on reports filed by real estate agents and construction firms regarding housing sales. The data includes most, but not all, old stock housing transactions.
Its statistics about new housing are only indicative and, for example, does not include data from real estate firm Avara, according to the federation.
