Budget housing developers take a break

The results of May disappointed developers implementing comfort-class projects in Moscow: despite discounts that reached 55% in some buildings, the number of people wishing to buy new apartments has generally decreased compared to April. Why did consumer activity drop at the end of last spring?

As Ruslan Syrtsov, Managing Director of Metrium, told MK, during the last month of spring, 15.2 thousand lots were exhibited in projects on the mass segment new buildings market. Of these, 13.2 thousand lots were apartments and another 2 thousand were flats. The supply volume grew by a symbolic 0.9%.

According to the analyst's calculations, the average weighted price per square meter of apartments and flats at the end of May 2025 increased by 0.5% over the month to RUB 352,220. At the same time, the average weighted price of apartments was RUB 361,850 per 1 sq. m (+0.6% over the month, +2.3% over the year), and flats - RUB 276,980 per sq. m (-1.5% over the month, +0.3% over the year).

The rating of the most affordable apartments in May 2025 was headed by a lot in the Solntsevo district (ZAO) with an area of ​​26.95 sq. m. for 4.9 million rubles, a lot in Zelenograd with an area of ​​19.4 sq. m. for 4.9 million rubles and a lot in Novokosino (VAO) with an area of ​​22.5 sq. m. for 5.3 million rubles.

The TOP-3 most affordable apartments at the end of spring included a lot in Zelenograd with an area of ​​19.8 sq. m. for 6.1 million rubles, a lot in Golyanovo (Eastern Administrative District) with an area of ​​20.2 sq. m. for 6.3 million rubles, and a lot in Yuzhnoye Butovo (South-West Administrative District) with an area of ​​19.9 sq. m. for 6.4 million rubles.

"At the end of spring, many developers of comfort-class projects offered a solid discount - up to 55%. However, the level of consumer activity still dropped," Yaroslav Gutnov, founder of SIS Development, told MK. According to him, mass-market clients made purchases primarily with the help of mortgages. Therefore, some potential borrowers postponed transactions until the Central Bank's key rate was reduced. "In addition, parents with children expected a reduction or cancellation of commissions on family mortgages. In the coming months, we will certainly see deferred demand in the mass-market new buildings in Moscow," the developer added.

According to the results of May, the largest number of transactions were registered in the Western Administrative District (26%, -2 p.p. for the month), the second place in terms of the number of transactions was in the South-East Administrative District (18%, +4 p.p.), and the third position was taken by the Northern Administrative District (15%, -2 p.p.).

"In May 2025, demand for DDU fell by 23.5% year-on-year, reaching a minimum since August 2024 - only 2 thousand transactions," Syrtsov summarizes. In his opinion, the seasonal decline in activity due to four holidays only partially explains such a decline, since the annual dynamics worsened compared to April (-8.8%) and March (-14.6%). Other negative factors also had an impact: a decrease in the volume of supply, a shortage of liquid lots with a weak replenishment of the market with new properties, as well as tightening of banks' requirements for borrowers after VTB and Sber canceled commissions on family mortgages. It is no coincidence that the share of mortgage transactions in May fell to 61%, having lost three percentage points in a month.

According to experts, with the start of the holiday season, sales of new buildings in this segment of the capital's primary market will traditionally decline.