House prices in Q2 2026: Romania and Cyprus speed up. What the index tells a buyer

Romania's annual rate rose by 4.3 percentage points from the first quarter and Cyprus's by 4.5 points (EstateScope calculation). Poland was broadly stable, while the EU average eased. The release has no data for Greece.

What the index does not tell you

The index covers new and existing homes bought by households. It is adjusted neither for season nor for inflation, and it mixes all regions of a country. So a 4.4% quarterly rise should not be multiplied by four, and a national 12% says little about one building in Bucharest or Limassol. The index does not measure rents or yields, and it is not a forecast: neither "buy now" nor "wait for a correction" follows from it.

What to check as a buyer

In the faster markets, the main risk is overpaying on the strength of a national headline.

• Ask for completed sale prices of comparable homes in the same building or street over the last 12 months, not listing prices.
• Off-plan: read the clauses that let the developer change the price. In Cyprus, construction prices also rose in the second quarter.
• Investment: recalculate the yield at today's price with a documented rent. If prices rise faster than rents, the yield falls.

Limitations

Figures can be revised: Eurostat has already cut the euro area's Q1 rate from 4.7% to 4.6%. Georgia is not covered; Geostat publishes its own indicators. Q3 data are due on 11 January 2027.