Preliminary figures show that the cost of a flat in an old building or terraced house fell by 1.3 percent in December, according to the latest figures from Statistics Finland. Prices rose by 0.7 percent year-on-year, but once again the capital city region saw higher prices and quicker rises.
In Helsinki and its immediate surroundings, the cost of shares in a housing company, which confer ownership of a flat in most apartment blocks or a terraced house in a row, fell by one percent compared to November 2013—but rose by 2.3 percent compared to December 2012.
By contrast, in the rest of the country prices fell 1.6 percent in December compared to November and fell half a percent compared to a year earlier. The average prices were 3,551 euros per square metre in Helsinki, 1,638 euros in the rest of Finland and 2,177 euros overall.
The figures are provisional, based on data from 40 percent of all property transactions last month. The flat housing market could change course this year, however, according to one research institute.
PTT Economic Research said on Tuesday that it forecasts a 2.5 percent jump in house prices in 2014, as the cost of buying is now unusually low compared to that of renting an apartment thanks to low interest rates and high rents.
