As housing prices continue to rise in Seoul, the sales price growth in regulated areas like Dongtan in Hwaseong has somewhat stabilized following the June 27 loan regulations, while the jeonse market has become even stronger. In Seoul, not only apartment prices but also those for officetels and the proportion of rising transactions are expanding, indicating a robust overall housing market.
According to the Korea Real Estate Agency's report on nationwide apartment price trends for the second week of July (as of July 13), the national average apartment sales price increased by 0.11% compared to the previous week. In the metropolitan area, prices rose by 0.21%, while Seoul saw a 0.30% increase, and regional areas experienced a slight rise of 0.01%, continuing the nationwide upward trend.
In southern Gyeonggi Province, there was a clear disparity between regulated areas and adjacent regions. Dongtan in Hwaseong recorded a 0.73% increase this week, the highest in the metropolitan area, but this was a significant decrease from the previous week's 1.29%. Similarly, prices in Suwon's Yeongtong District dropped from 1.19% to 0.64%, and in Guri from 0.64% to 0.31%.
Conversely, buying interest has spread to areas near the regulated zones. Giheung District in Yongin saw a 0.59% increase, up from 0.56% the previous week, while Gwangmyeong rose from 0.44% to 0.59%, continuing its upward momentum. This trend is particularly attributed to rising transactions in areas like Haandan-dong and Cheolsan-dong.
Unlike the sales market, the jeonse market has remained strong even after the regulations. In Dongtan, while the sales price growth rate slowed from 1.29% to 0.73%, jeonse prices increased from 0.36% to 0.50%. Giheung also saw an increase in jeonse prices from 0.26% to 0.31%. In contrast, both sales and jeonse prices in Suwon's Yeongtong District experienced reduced growth.
On a monthly basis, the strength of the Seoul housing market has become even more pronounced.
The Korea Real Estate Agency's report on nationwide housing price trends for June 2026, released on July 15, indicated that the overall national sales price increased by 0.33% compared to the previous month, while jeonse and monthly rental prices rose by 0.38% each.
In the metropolitan area, sales prices increased by 0.67%, jeonse by 0.71%, and monthly rents by 0.62%, while regional areas saw minimal increases of 0.01% in sales, 0.08% in jeonse, and 0.15% in monthly rents.
Notably, Seoul's sales prices rose by 1.03%, jeonse by 1.08%, and monthly rents by 0.96%, significantly exceeding the national averages. Compared to the previous month, sales increased from 0.90% to 1.03%, jeonse from 0.91% to 1.08%, and monthly rents from 0.81% to 0.96%.
The upward trend in apartment prices has also extended to non-apartment properties. The sales price of apartments in Seoul rose by 1.21%, the highest rate recorded, while row houses increased by 0.86% and single-family homes by 0.49%. The Korea Real Estate Agency includes multi-family homes in the row house category and multi-family houses in the single-family category.
As apartment prices and jeonse rates rise together, the officetel market in Seoul continues to show strength.
The Korea Real Estate Agency's report on officetel price trends for the second quarter of 2026, released on July 15, noted that while the national average sales price for officetels fell by 0.30% compared to the previous quarter, jeonse prices increased by 0.09% and monthly rents by 0.71%.
In Seoul, all three categories—sales, jeonse, and monthly rents—saw increases. Sales prices rose by 0.24%, a slight increase from the previous quarter's 0.23%, while jeonse prices increased from 0.24% to 0.40%, and monthly rents rose from 0.75% to 0.90%.
The Korea Real Estate Agency attributes the strength of the officetel market in Seoul to increased demand as an alternative to apartments. Sales of officetels have continued in urban areas with good transportation access and near subway stations, while the increase in jeonse prices has been driven by rising demand for larger officetels.
Real transaction data also confirms the upward trend in Seoul. According to an analysis by Zigbang of actual transaction prices released on July 13, the proportion of rising transactions among nationwide apartment sales in June was 47.3%, an increase of 1.6 percentage points from the previous month (45.7%).
In Seoul, the proportion of rising transactions surged from 47.7% to 57.1%, a jump of 9.4 percentage points in just one month. In May, only five districts had a rising transaction proportion exceeding 50%, but in June, this expanded to 23 districts, excluding Gangnam and Gwangjin.
The largest increase in the proportion of rising transactions was seen in Yongsan (17.7 percentage points), followed by Mapo (15.8), Jungnang (15.5), Seocho (14.6), Gwanak (13.3), Yeongdeungpo (13.0), Geumcheon (12.4), and Seongdong (12.2).
However, Zigbang cautioned that considering the decrease in transaction volume and potential regulatory changes, further confirmation is needed to determine whether the current upward trend will continue.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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