Housing: growth continues in the first quarter of 2026

Italians still love their homes, as confirmed by the first quarter of 2026. The Italian residential market is, in fact, continuing the recovery that began in the second half of 2024. In the first quarter of 2026, almost 180,000 homes were bought and sold, an increase of 4.4% compared with the same period the previous year.

Growth is being seen across all regions of the country, with particularly strong results in the North-West and the South (+5.1%). The sector is being buoyed by an improving economic climate, rising employment and greater consumer confidence. Italians continue to have confidence in the residential market, particularly for new purchases and for moving house, but a significant proportion of transactions are also for investment purposes. Consequently, forecasts for the end of the year exceed 800,000 transactions, a record level that would signal the housing sector has reached maturity.

The use of mortgages is also on the rise again: almost 48% of purchases were financed through bank loans, whilst mortgage lending for house purchases increased by 11%, exceeding €11.5 billion.

The new-build sector has been particularly buoyant, recording a 14.6% increase, a sign of growing interest in more efficient and modern homes. The major Italian cities have also performed well, led by Turin, Genoa and Milan.

As regards rentals, the number of tenancy agreements remains stable, but the total value of rents is rising, driven mainly by the increase in subsidised tenancies.