According to the survey of 1,490 real estate agents, carried out between 4 November and 9 December 2020, the share of agencies that sold at least one property in the third quarter rose to values in line with those prior to the COVID-19 epidemic; the negative balance between the share of agencies reporting a decline and those reporting an increase in prices remained stable compared with the previous survey. Demand conditions and assessments regarding new listings have improved; the time on market and the average discount on asking prices has stabilized. After the outbreak of the pandemic, the average size of houses sold increased, as did the share of transactions involving detached residential units and houses with outdoor space. Agencies' opinions about their own market's outlook have sharply worsened, both for the fourth quarter and in the medium term; expectations regarding the national market have become more unfavorable. Most agents expect the epidemic to have negative effects on housing demand and selling prices; the effects on prices are expected to persist and to last beyond mid-2021.
