April ended with double-digit declines in demand for second-hand apartments in Poznań, Wrocław and Łódź. In Warsaw, Kraków, the Tricity and Katowice, interest in homes from this segment was also weaker, although the decline was smaller. Despite this, property prices in Poland’s seven largest cities increased, while the gap between the highest average price per square metre, recorded in Warsaw, and the lowest, recorded in Łódź, exceeded the symbolic threshold of PLN 10,000. Paweł Jarząbek from Otodom comments on the current situation of buyers and sellers on the second-hand housing market.
“After a record-breaking March and a sharp increase in buyer activity, the market began to slow down. The number of enquiries about second-hand apartments fell. At the same time, asking prices continued to rise. Behind this apparent paradox there may be three factors: the historically highest monthly value of mortgage loans granted in March, limited housing supply and the belief among customers that property prices will continue to rise,” explains Paweł Jarząbek, Research and Analysis Manager at Otodom.
A spring cooling in demand
In April, the number of enquiries about second-hand apartments returned to levels seen at the beginning of the year, reaching nearly 93,000. Otodom data also show that all seven of Poland’s largest cities recorded a double-digit month-on-month correction in buyer interest. In Poznań, the number of enquiries fell by 14.9%, in Wrocław by 14.8%, and in Łódź by 12.9%.
The structure of April demand once again points to the strong resilience of the Warsaw market, where the correction amounted to only 3.5% month on month. It should be emphasised, however, that Warsaw and Kraków were the only analysed markets to record a year-on-year increase in the number of enquiries, at 7% and 3% respectively.
At the same time, the supply of second-hand apartments available for sale is shrinking rapidly. Year on year, the number of active listings fell in Wrocław, Kraków, Warsaw and Łódź. It is possible that this limited supply was precisely the reason why asking prices continued to rise in April. The strongest year-on-year price increases were recorded in Poznań, where apartments became 5.7% more expensive, and in the Tricity, where prices rose by 5.5%. Warsaw remains the most expensive market in the country, with the average asking price exceeding PLN 18,000 per square metre.
The second-hand market remains the first choice for most buyers
According to Otodom’s report on sentiment among real estate market customers, prepared on the basis of a Kantar survey, second-hand apartments are chosen more often than units offered by developers. Second-hand apartments are indicated as the first choice by 47% of respondents, while only 21% point to apartments in developer standard.
The motivations behind buying a used property are also interesting. Among those purchasing a second-hand apartment, as many as 55% declare that they are buying the property for their own housing needs. Among customers of development companies, this share is 38%.
“The data may suggest that the second-hand market today primarily serves a residential function, while new apartments may more often be part of investment strategies or purchases intended for rental. Differences can also be seen in the approach to the key criteria for choosing an apartment. Nationwide, price remains the most important argument when buying a second-hand property. However, in the largest metropolitan areas, priorities are clearly shifting, and location is indicated as the key selection factor,” says Paweł Jarząbek, housing market expert at Otodom.
What lies ahead?
Otodom’s “Real Estate Customer Sentiment Monitor” shows that in the first quarter of 2026, 55% of respondents expected further increases in apartment prices, while in March alone this share rose to 59%. Only 13% of respondents expected prices to fall. Such a high level of conviction that prices will continue to rise may influence buyers’ decisions. Some purchasers may be willing to accept today’s high prices, assuming that apartments will become even more expensive in the future.
Data from the first quarter and April 2026 show the second-hand market at a moment of significant tension between demand and supply. On the one hand, the number of enquiries slowed after a record-breaking March. On the other hand, the scale of the shrinking offer means that prices remain resistant to the temporary weakening of buyer activity.
The coming months will show whether the current slight loss of momentum in demand marks the beginning of stabilisation or merely a brief pause before another wave of growth. The key factor will be whether the supply of apartments starts to recover.
