The first seven dollars in the fall

Housing in Moscow began to get cheaper in this week in Moscow for the first time in the last two years a decrease in housing prices was noted. According to the monitoring of the Consulting company Russian Research Group (RRG), the cost of the square. meters on economy class housing decreased to $ 3966 per square meter. m. The decrease, of course, is quite conditional - it was only $ 7 per square meter. m or 0.2% of the average cost of housing.

“However, this was the first call of a new trend, because until that moment prices were directed exclusively upward,” said RRG CEO Denis Kolokolnikov. In his opinion, this situation is primarily associated with a decrease in citizens' interest in investment purchases, which, according to this year,, according to various estimates, reached 40-50% of all housing transactions. At the same time, Kolokolnikov clarifies that we are talking not so much about the growth of the sentence, but about a decrease in demand. "Investment apartments in the mass order have not yet entered the market," the expert believes.

It is the sale of investment apartments that can cause an avalanche -like drop in prices. However, some analysts are sure that the deferred demand for apartments will prevent this. So, according to the Reskor Corporation, 50% of Muscovites and 60% of Russians are unhappy with their living conditions. At the same time, the vice president of the corporation Anna Lupashko admits, today only 0.1% of the population can purchase apartments with their own funds. “However, if the demand from people with money is exhausted, a mortgage will pick it up,” said Anna Lupashko.

But not all market participants are sure that mortgage lending can save the situation. According to the statistics of the “Independent Bureau of Mortgage Lending” (NBK), only about 12.6% of all people who applied for a loan were able to use it and buy an apartment. The entire NBK statistics are as follows: 34% of all who contacted the company over the past six months (from April to September 2006) were qualified as real candidates for a loan, of which 88% received approval from the bank and only 42% of those who received approval were able to find and purchase an apartment.

“Today, the total income of about half of the families in Moscow is less than $ 2 thousand, which is clearly not enough to purchase a one -room apartment in Moscow, even with a mortgage,” said NBK Anderraiter Pavel Komolov. For example, at the cost of a two -room apartment with an area of 45 square meters. m, located in the Kozhukhovo area, $ 175 thousand and with the initial contribution of 10% monthly loan payments will be approximately $ 1515. Whereas it is possible to rent the same apartment with a good repair in the area for $ 800-850. It is not surprising that many potential buyers prefer to rent housing.

According to Komolov, currently potential customers of mortgage programs are owners of companies who are unprofitable to remove money from business, or middle class, ready to leave for the Moscow region, where you can still purchase housing for $ 1100-1200 per square meter. meter. That is, a mortgage will be able to maintain housing prices much lower than the current levels.

05.10.2006 / Denis Pokulov, the material was published in the newspaper No. 182 dated 06.10.2006.