Slovak developer Lucron has launched sales for Na námestí II, the next phase of its Arboria residential district in Trnava. The phase will deliver 81 apartments across three six-storey buildings, with construction scheduled to begin in summer 2027 and completion targeted for summer 2029. The offer will include two-, three- and four-room layouts, with some units featuring terraces or ground-floor gardens.

The number of new apartments available in Bratislava reached its highest level in almost ten years at the end of the third quarter of 2026, according to analysts at BENCONT INVESTMENTS. Supply rose by 632 units over the three-month period to 4,863 apartments across 113 projects, a 15% increase on the previous quarter and 22.5% higher year-on-year. The average asking price held almost flat at €5,361 per sqm including VAT, up just 0.4% year-on-year, representing a real-terms decline given current inflation.

Hungary is replacing its Otthon Start subsidised mortgage programme with a new scheme called Wekerle Plusz, following an announcement by the prime minister. The new programme restricts eligibility to first-time buyers aged 18 to 41, introduces a fixed 3% interest rate for new-build purchases and a fixed 5% rate for used properties, and requires a minimum five-year residency obligation. The applicant and spouse must also hold less than a 50% ownership share in any existing property. Existing Otthon Start contracts remain valid, though the exact transition date has not yet been confirmed.

North Bucharest Investments (NBI), a real estate advisory and brokerage company led by Vlad Musteatǎ, has added Astorium Nest, a residential development by Astorium, to its portfolio. The project will comprise 55 apartments, with prices starting at €76,464 plus VAT and an estimated completion date at the end of 2027. The move forms part of NBI's strategy to diversify its residential portfolio.

BuildGreen has secured BREEAM Excellent certification for 12 residential buildings within Greenfield Băneasa, a development by Impact Developer & Contractor in northern Bucharest. Issued by BRE Global, the certification covers 982 apartments across Phases 1, 2, 3, and 5 of UTR3 (Teilor District), encompassing 62,706 sqm of net internal floor area and more than 96,999 sqm of gross internal floor area. The scale of the project places it among the largest BREEAM-certified residential developments in Romania.

Cavatina Group is increasingly balancing its established office business with rapid growth in residential and institutional rental housing. Daniel Draga, CEO of Cavatina Group, discusses the company’s expanding residential pipeline, the role of institutional capital, changing dynamics in the office market and how financing conditions are shaping its approach to future development.

Developer Optimal Development has begun construction of Matadorka Living, a residential-led mixed-use project on the site of the historic Smaltovňa building in the Petržalka district of Bratislava. The 1905 structure, designed by architect Heinrich Zieger and German firm Wayss & Freytag, once employed 910 people, roughly one third of Petržalka's population at the time. After decades of neglect, the site is now being transformed into a new local centre for the district.

Passerinvest Group, a Czech developer and investor, is expanding into the rental housing sector under a new brand called Balance Home. The first units will be available for occupation in the second quarter of 2027 at the Hila project in the Brumlovka district of Prague 4, where 71 fully furnished apartments ranging from studio to four-room configurations will be offered. A further 134 rental apartments are being developed at Brumlovka as part of the Orion project, due for completion in 2029. The planned Arboretum project in the Prague district of Roztyly will add rental housing across two additional buildings.

Investment group RSJ and developer Na Jelených have formed a long-term partnership to develop the Na Jelených site in southern Prague. Together they are preparing a large-scale build-to-rent project comprising approximately 5,500 rental flats for up to 16,000 residents, with a total value exceeding CZK 50 billion. The first construction phase is set to begin next year, with the full project expected to be delivered over approximately ten years.

Residential property prices fell in Budapest during the third quarter of 2026, according to the Duna House Barometer. The price index for panel flats dropped from 525 to 514 points, while the index for brick-built flats fell from 415 to 406 points, representing a 2% decline in both categories. The brick-built flat index is now 1% below its level from the same period last year. Nationally, the residential price index edged down from 464 to 462 points, with the annual growth rate slowing sharply from 19% in the second quarter to 6%. Western Hungary saw the steepest quarterly drop, with brick-built flat prices falling 4%, while only brick-built flats in eastern Hungary recorded a meaningful rise, of 3%.