Emor: Interest in Buying a New Home Remains, But Uncertainty and Price Levels Hinder Decisions

According to a recent Emor survey, every third Estonian resident plans to purchase a new home in the near or distant future. Within the next five years, 13% of residents plan to buy a home. The results are at a similar level compared to recent years, but are clearly below the 2019 survey results.

The main obstacles for people planning to purchase a home in the future are related to financial well-being. "Demand for new housing has decreased compared to the previous survey conducted in 2019," commented Emor survey expert Katariina Mäll at yesterday's real estate conference. At that time, 39% of residents planned to purchase a new home in the future. "Purchase decisions are increasingly influenced by uncertainty and the perception of financial risks. People are considering their options more thoroughly than before," added Mäll.

The biggest concerns are related to financial well-being – 43% of respondents fear that loan burden will become too large and 39% are worried about job loss or income reduction. A third of respondents (34%) highlight uncertainty related to the security situation and the same number doubt whether they can afford a suitable home. Every third person believes that real estate prices may rise even further.

The main obstacles to buying a home are high real estate prices, which are mentioned by every other home purchase planner, and an unstable economic situation (36%). "When we asked survey respondents to assess Estonia's overall economic situation, 63% of home purchase planners believe it will worsen. The assessment of their family's well-being is more optimistic: some see deterioration, but nearly a third believe in improved family well-being. This suggests that while the general economic environment is perceived as an obstacle, it doesn't necessarily mean abandoning home purchase plans," noted Mäll.

The survey also reveals that younger people are the most active home purchase planners on the real estate market, but at the same time they feel more than average both price pressure and uncertainty.

Emor conducted the survey "Estonian residents' activity on the real estate market" online during the period of April 16-23, 2026. The survey included 1,131 Estonian residents aged 18+.