Housing market sentiment turns, but buyers seek homes that are in short supply

Finns’ confidence in rising housing prices has strengthened over the past six months, but the expectations of buyers and the homes available on the market do not match. According to the latest Market Pulse survey by Etuovi.com, 54 percent of prospective buyers have not found a suitable home. The future of the housing market was discussed in Alma Real Estate‘s webinar “Housing Market Now and Tomorrow”, held on October 8, 2026.

In March, the share of those expecting prices to fall was 10 percentage points higher than those expecting an increase. Now the situation has reversed: the share of respondents anticipating a rise is 7 percentage points higher.

“The atmosphere in the housing market has clearly shifted. For a long time, the discussion was dominated by falling prices, interest rates, and uncertainty. Now, an increasing number of people believe prices will start to rise. That is an interesting signal, but on its own, it is not enough to kick-start home sales,” says Tuomo Räsänen Director of Alma Real Estate.

Buyers are looking for different homes than those on the market

The discrepancy is most apparent in single-family detached houses. While 49 percent of buyers are looking for a detached house, only 33 percent of sellers are offering one. Buyer interest is concentrated on homes ranging from 80 to 119 square meters and those built in the 2000s. Supply, by contrast, is characterized by properties of at least 140 square meters and homes built in the 1970s and 1980s.

This is directly reflected in transactions: 54 percent of those planning to buy say they have not found a suitable property.

“Many would be ready to move forward, but what they are looking for simply cannot be found on the market. We have a large number of properties on offer and many people looking for a home at the same time, but the two do not meet,” Räsänen says.

The housing stock changes slowly, meaning the market cannot adapt rapidly to buyers’ preferences.

Young people bypass studio flats, two out of three look directly for family homes

The results of the Market Pulse survey challenge the traditional concept of the property ladder, where the first owner-occupied home is a studio or a small one-bedroom flat. Among prospective homebuyers under the age of 35, 66 percent are looking for a home with at least four rooms, while only seven percent are seeking a studio. For buyers aged 65 and over, two-bedroom flats feature prominently.

The difference between buyer demographics is also evident in financing. Among those under 35, 88 percent plan to take out a mortgage, and 24 percent state that interest rate levels do not affect their decision to buy. Among those aged 65 and over, the corresponding figures are 16 and 62 percent. Across all prospective homebuyers, interest rate levels remain the primary factor dampening the willingness to purchase.

Rental housing strengthens, no signs of recovery yet in new developments

According to Etuovi’s rental housing survey, 48 percent of respondents feel that attitudes toward rental living have become more positive (compared to 44 percent in 2024). Of those looking for a rental apartment, 27 percent wish to continue renting in the future, and 47 percent find it difficult to secure a suitable rental home.

“Renting is no longer merely a transitional phase for many people. At the same time, finding a suitable rental apartment is difficult for many because the right kinds of homes are not available. This mismatch is therefore not limited to owner-occupied housing. In new developments, signs of recovery are not yet visible, but for developers who understand consumer demand, the situation also presents an opportunity,” Räsänen says.

Alma Real Estate as a partner in the property sector

Alma Real Estate is Finland’s leading real estate service entity. It brings together the housing marketplaces Etuovi.com and Vuokraovi.com, the professional real estate agency system OviPro, AI-driven real estate data, and the digital property transaction infrastructure DIAS into a single ecosystem. Alma Real Estate has been digitizing the Finnish real estate sector since 1996.

The future of the housing market was discussed in Alma Real Estate’s webinar “Housing Market Now and Tomorrow”, held on October 8, 2026. Olli-Pekka Ruuskanen (University of Vaasa, Pellervo Economic Research PTT) presented three potential development trajectories for the years 2027–2029, with panelists including Timo Metsola from Vuokraturva, Juho Kostiainen from Nordea, and Maria-Elena Ehrnrooth from the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies (SKVL).

The Etuovi.com Market Pulse survey was conducted between September 7 and September 24, 2026, on the Etuovi.com website as a pop-up survey using random sampling. A total of 2,383 people responded. The age group figures apply to those planning to buy an owner-occupied home. The rental housing survey was conducted between May 15 and June 20, 2026, as a pop-up survey on Vuokraovi.com using random sampling, with 1,441 respondents. The comparison figure from 2024 is based on the 2024 survey (n = 1,642).

Marketing time: Etuovi.com, median for existing homes on the market. Price and transaction volume data: Statistics Finland.

More information

Tuomo Räsänen, Director, Alma Real Estate, tuomo.rasanen@almamedia.fi, tel. +358 40 718 2840

Laura Lahtinen, Housing Specialist, Alma Real Estate, laura.lahtinen@almamedia.fi, tel. +358 40 509 4757

Share article