House prices - first semester 2024
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, publishes today the house prices for the first semester of 2024 in Belgium, based on the deeds of sale registered by the FPS Finances.
The main results are the following:
- The Belgian median price for an attached or semi-detached house amounted to 260,000 euros.
A buyer had to pay 370,000 euros for a detached house. - The Walloon Region is the cheapest with a median price of 175,000 euros for an attached or semi-detached house and 296,500 euros for a detached house.
- The Brussels-Capital Region is the most expensive region: attached and semi-detached houses cost there 485,000 euros. The price for a detached house amounted to 1,100,000 euros.
- The Flemish Region is in between. Attached and semi-detached houses cost there 298,000 euros, and detached houses cost 410,000 euros.
- Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant are the most expensive provinces. The cheapest Flemish province is Limburg and the cheapest Walloon province is Hainaut.
- Sint-Martens-Latem is the most expensive municipality for houses. The cheapest houses can be found in Froidchapelle.
- The most expensive apartments are found in Knokke-Heist. The cheapest apartments can be found in Charleroi.
Belgium
The median price for an attached or semi-detached house amounted to 260,000 euros in the first semester of 2024. A buyer had to pay 370,000 euros for a detached house. Apartments cost 240,000 euros:
| BELGIUM | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | % evolution | % evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (S1) | (S1) | (S1) | 2023 (S1) / 2022 (S1) | 2024 (S1) / 2023 (S1) | |
| Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 251,200 | 259,000 | 260,000 | +3.1% | +0.4% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 356,000 | 365,000 | 370,000 | +2.5% | +1.4% |
| Apartments | 225,000 | 237,000 | 240,000 | +5.3% | +1.3% |
| Median price (euro) | |||||
Compared to the first semester of 2023, the median price of attached or semi-detached houses increased by 0.4% at national level. The median price for detached houses increased by 1.4%. Apartments became 1.3% more expensive.
(the chart shows the median prices of the first semester for each year)
The regions
Clear regional differences can be noted:
- The Walloon Region is the cheapest. In the first semester of 2024, the median price of attached or semi-detached houses remained stable: 175,000 euros. Detached houses became 4% more expensive and cost 296,500 euros. Apartments became 5,000 euros (2.8%) less expensive and cost 175,000 euros
| WALLOON REGION | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | % evolution | % evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (S1) | (S1) | (S1) | 2023 (S1) / 2022 (S1) | 2024 (S1) / 2023 (S1) | |
| Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 170,000 | 175,000 | 175,000 | +2.9% | 0.0% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 285,000 | 285,000 | 296,500 | 0.0% | +4% |
| Apartments | 172,000 | 180,000 | 175,000 | +4.7% | --2.8% |
| Median price (euro) | |||||
- The Brussels-Capital Region is the most expensive region for all types of dwellings. Attached and semi-detached houses there cost 485,000 euros, a price increase of 2.1% compared to the same period last year.
The median price for detached houses was 1,100,000 euros, which is a price increase of 21.9% and a recovery after the decline in prices last year. The median price for apartments was 260,000 euros, which represents a new price increase of 2%:
| BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | % evolution | % evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (S1) | (S1) | (S1) | 2023 (S1) / 2022 (S1) | 2024 (S1) / 2023 (S1) | |
| Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 485,000 | 475,000 | 485,000 | -2.1% | +2.1% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 1,150,000 | 902,500 | 1,100,000 | -21.5% | +21.9% |
| Apartments | 250,000 | 255,000 | 260,000 | +2% | +2% |
| Median price (euro) | |||||
- In the Flemish Region: Attached and semi-detached houses cost there 298,000 euros, an increase of 1% compared to the first semester of 2023.
Detached houses (410,000 euros) registered a price increase of 1.2%. Apartments cost 249,000 euros. They became 1.6% more expensive:
| FLEMISH REGION | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | % evolution | % evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (S1) | (S1) | (S1) | 2023 (S1) / 2022 (S1) | 2024 (S1) / 2023 (S1) | |
| Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 280,000 | 295,000 | 298,000 | +5.4% | +1% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 390,000 | 405,000 | 410,000 | +3.8% | +1.2% |
| Apartments | 230,000 | 245,000 | 249,000 | +6.5% | +1.6% |
| Median price (euro) | |||||
The provinces
In the Flemish Region, houses and apartments were the most expensive in the province of Flemish Brabant in the first semester of 2024. An attached or semi-detached house cost there 350,000 euros, and the median price of a detached house was 460,000 euros. For an apartment, the median price was 269,000 euros. The cheapest attached and semi-detached houses were found in West Flanders (251,000 euros). Limburg was the cheapest for detached houses (330,000 euros) and apartments (235,000 euros).
In the Walloon Region, the province of Walloon Brabant was the most expensive: attached and semi-detached houses cost there 305,000 euros, the median price of a detached house was 440,000 euros. The median price for apartments there was 242,000 euros. Hainaut was the cheapest for attached or semi-detached houses (150,000 euros) and apartments (150,600 euros). The cheapest detached houses were found in the province of Namur (270,000 euros).
The municipalities
Houses
The tables below show a ranking of the most and least expensive municipalities per region based on all attached, semi-detached and detached houses.
The most expensive Flemish municipality for houses was Sint-Martens-Latem with a median price of 755,000 euros. The cheapest houses in this region could be found in Wervik with a median price of 183,250 euros.
The most expensive Walloon houses were located in Lasne (606,620 euros) and the cheapest houses could be found in Froidchapelle (75,500 euros).
In the Brussels-Capital Region, the municipality of Ixelles had the highest median price with 692,500 euros. The lowest median price for houses in this region was in the municipality of Anderlecht (349,000 euros).
Houses - most and least expensive municipalities in the Flemish Region:
| Most expensive municipalities | Median price | Least expensive municipalities | Median price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SINT-MARTENS-LATEM (48) | 755,000 | 1 | WERVIK (85) | 183,250 |
| 2 | KNOKKE-HEIST (99) | 741,000 | 2 | MENEN (231) | 193,600 |
| 3 | KRAAINEM (58) | 673,500 | 3 | LENDELEDE (32) | 210,000 |
| 4 | WEZEMBEEK-OPPEM (54) | 620,000 | 4 | RONSE (150) | 212,500 |
| 5 | HOVE (27) | 580,000 | 5 | AVELGEM (53) | 214,000 |
| 6 | LINT (22) | 537,500 | 6 | LEDEGEM (35) | 220,000 |
| 7 | SINT-GENESIUS-RODE (87) | 535,000 | 7 | HEUVELLAND (27) | 222,500 |
| 8 | TERVUREN (85) | 525,000 | 8 | LANGEMARK-POELKAPELLE (32) | 226,000 |
| 9 | SCHILDE (111) | 519,410 | 9 | HULSHOUT (39) | 240,000 |
| 10 | HULDENBERG (23) | 507,500 | 10 | DIKSMUIDE (78) | 240,925 |
| The figure in brackets represents the number of transactions. | |||||
Houses - most and least expensive municipalities in the Walloon Region:
| Most expensive municipalities | Median price | Least expensive municipalities | Median price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LASNE (62) | 606,620 | 1 | FROIDCHAPELLE (28) | 75,500 |
| 2 | CHAUMONT-GISTOUX (37) | 500,000 | 2 | HASTIERE (49) | 80,000 |
| 3 | WATERLOO (124) | 495,000 | 3 | COLFONTAINE (118) | 96,751 |
| 4 | LA HULPE (24) | 470,000 | 4 | ERQUELINNES (41) | 115,000 |
| 5 | BEAUVECHAIN (29) | 435,000 | 5 | FRAMERIES (119) | 120,000 |
| 6 | RIXENSART (91) | 423,000 | QUIÉVRAIN (37) | 120,000 | |
| 7 | OTTIGNIES-LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE (60) | 395,000 | 7 | QUAREGNON (91) | 125,000 |
| 8 | CHASTRE (22) | 367,500 | 8 | VIROINVAL (31) | 127,500 |
| 9 | WAVRE (92) | 361,000 | 9 | FARCIENNES (53) | 129,500 |
| 10 | GENAPPE (63) | 359,000 | 10 | HENSIES (26) | 130,750 |
| The figure in brackets represents the number of transactions. | |||||
Houses - most and least expensive municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region:
| Most expensive municipalities | Median price | Least expensive municipalities | Median price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IXELLES (42) | 692,500 | 1 | ANDERLECHT (83) | 349,000 |
| 2 | WOLUWE-SAINT-PIERRE (78) | 661,000 | 2 | MOLENBEEK-SAINT-JEAN (28) | 357,000 |
| 3 | UCCLE (138) | 650,000 | 3 | GANSHOREN (17) | 375,000 |
| 4 | FOREST (36) | 637,500 | 4 | EVERE (26) | 390,000 |
| 5 | WOLUWE-SAINT-LAMBERT (57) | 620,000 | 5 | BERCHEM-SAINTE-AGATHE (26) | 411,250 |
| The figure in brackets represents the number of transactions. | |||||
Apartments
The tables below show a ranking of the most and least expensive municipalities per region for the apartments.
The most expensive Flemish municipality for apartments was Knokke-Heist with a median price of 585,000 euros. The cheapest apartments in this region could be found in Roeselare with a median price of 170,000 euros.
The most expensive Walloon apartments are located in Waterloo (390,000 euros) and the cheapest could be found in Charleroi (105,500 euros).
In the Brussels-Capital Region, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre was the municipality with the highest median price for an apartment, i.e. 352,500 euros. The lowest median price was for the municipality of Anderlecht (197,000 euros).
Apartments - most and least expensive municipalities in the Flemish Region:
| Most expensive municipalities | Median price | Least expensive municipalities | Median price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KNOKKE-HEIST (333) | 585,000 | 1 | ROESELARE (72) | 170,000 |
| 2 | HERENT (30) | 332,500 | 2 | DIEPENBEEK (35) | 172,000 |
| 3 | LINT (19) | 320,000 | 3 | RONSE (29) | 173,059 |
| 4 | BOECHOUT (19) | 315,000 | 4 | ZELZATE (19) | 177,500 |
| 5 | HOOGSTRATEN (29) | 312,500 | 5 | BREDENE (75) | 185,000 |
| 6 | NIJLEN (26) | 307,500 | 6 | TIENEN (65) | 186,500 |
| 7 | KORTENBERG (21) | 300,000 | 7 | DIKSMUIDE (18) | 190,000 |
| MEISE (19) | 300,000 | 8 | LEOPOLDSBURG (34) | 192,500 | |
| 9 | ZOERSEL (28) | 293,550 | 9 | TIELT (16) | 194,000 |
| 10 | KALMTHOUT (18) | 290,750 | 10 | ZWEVEGEM (20) | 197,000 |
| The figure in brackets represents the number of transactions. | |||||
Apartments - most and least expensive municipalities in the Walloon Region:
| Most expensive municipalities | Median price | Least expensive municipalities | Median price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WATERLOO (34) | 390,000 | 1 | CHARLEROI (253) | 105,500 |
| 2 | RIXENSART (18) | 300,000 | 2 | DURBUY (26) | 116,400 |
| 3 | CHAUDFONTAINE (22) | 297,500 | 3 | HERSTAL (43) | 140,000 |
| 4 | BRAINE-L’ALLEUD (49) | 259,000 | 4 | LA LOUVIERE (45) | 142,500 |
| 5 | ARLON (52) | 250,000 | 5 | VERVIERS (70) | 146,500 |
| 6 | OTTIGNIES-LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE (92) | 245,000 | 6 | SERAING (45) | 154,000 |
| 7 | WAVRE (75) | 225,000 | 7 | TOURNAI (72) | 159,000 |
| 8 | GEMBLOUX (38) | 222,000 | 8 | LIÈGE (239) | 160,000 |
| 9 | TUBIZE (49) | 202,500 | 9 | MOUSCRON (43) | 165,000 |
| 10 | NIVELLES (70) | 201,500 | HUY (39) | 165,000 | |
| ANS (35) | 165,000 | ||||
| The figure in brackets represents the number of transactions. | |||||
Apartments - most and least expensive municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region:
| Most expensive municipalities | Median price | Least expensive municipalities | Median price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WOLUWE-SAINT-PIERRE (130) | 352,500 | 1 | ANDERLECHT (320) | 197,000 |
| 2 | WOLUWE-SAINT-LAMBERT (271) | 340,000 | 2 | KOEKELBERG (75) | 205,000 |
| 3 | IXELLES (450) | 330,000 | 3 | BERCHEM-SAINTE-AGATHE (83) | 209,500 |
| 4 | UCCLE (411) | 320,000 | 4 | MOLENBEEK-SAINT-JEAN (354) | 210,000 |
| 5 | AUDERGHEM (100) | 295,000 | GANSHOREN (99) | 210,000 | |
| The figure in brackets represents the number of transactions. | |||||
Annexes
Overview median prices
| Median (euro) | 2022 (S1) |
2023 (S1) |
2024 (S1) |
Evolution % 2023(S1) / 2022(S1) |
Evolution % 2024(S1) / 2023(S1) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BELGIUM | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 251,200 | 259,000 | 260,000 | +3.1% | +0.4% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 356,000 | 365,000 | 370,000 | +2.5% | +1.4% | |
| Apartments | 225,000 | 237,000 | 240,000 | +5.3% | +1.3% | |
| FLEMISH REGION | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 280,000 | 295,000 | 298,000 | +5.4% | +1.0% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 390,000 | 405,000 | 410,000 | +3.8% | +1.2% | |
| Apartments | 230,000 | 245,000 | 249,000 | +6.5% | +1.6% | |
| WALLOON REGION | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 170,000 | 175,000 | 175,000 | +2.9% | 0.0% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 285,000 | 285,000 | 296,500 | 0.0% | +4.0% | |
| Apartments | 172,000 | 180,000 | 175,000 | +4.7% | -2.8% | |
| BRUSSELS-CAPITAL REGION | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 485,000 | 475,000 | 485,000 | -2.1% | +2.1% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 1,150,000 | 902,500 | 1,100,000 | -21.5% | +21.9% | |
| Apartments | 250,000 | 255,000 | 260,000 | +2.0% | +2.0% | |
| PROVINCE OF ANTWERP | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 310,000 | 325,000 | 335,000 | +4.8% | +3.1% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 420,000 | 425,000 | 449,000 | +1.2% | +5.6% | |
| Apartments | 230,000 | 240,000 | 245,000 | +4.3% | +2.1% | |
| PROVINCE OF FLEMISH BRABANT | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 335,000 | 349,500 | 350,000 | +4.3% | +0.1% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 443,222 | 451,000 | 460,000 | +1.8% | +2.0% | |
| Apartments | 255,000 | 269,950 | 269,000 | +5.9% | -0.4% | |
| PROVINCE OF WALLOON BRABANT | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 310,000 | 320,000 | 305,000 | +3.2% | -4.7% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 467,000 | 460,000 | 440,000 | -1.5% | -4.3% | |
| Apartments | 250,000 | 255,000 | 242,000 | +2.0% | -5.1% | |
| PROVINCE OF WEST FLANDERS | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 246,000 | 257,500 | 251,000 | +4.7% | -2.5% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 390,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | +2.6% | 0.0% | |
| Apartments | 220,000 | 233,000 | 237,500 | +5.9% | +1.9% | |
| PROVINCE OF EAST FLANDERS | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 277,000 | 285,000 | 289,500 | +2.9% | +1.6% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 415,000 | 420,000 | 420,000 | +1.2% | 0.0% | |
| Apartments | 240,000 | 253,500 | 255,000 | +5.6% | +0.6% | |
| PROVINCE OF HAINAUT | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 150,000 | 155,000 | 150,000 | +3.3% | -3.2% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 265,000 | 265,000 | 270,000 | 0.0% | +1.9% | |
| Apartments | 145,000 | 155,000 | 150,600 | +6.9% | -2.8% | |
| PROVINCE OF LIÈGE | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 175,000 | 180,000 | 185,000 | +2.9% | +2.8% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 294,000 | 285,000 | 295,000 | -3.1% | +3.5% | |
| Apartments | 170,000 | 169,000 | 170,000 | -0.6% | +0.6% | |
| PROVINCE OF LIMBURG | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 236,014 | 246,500 | 255,000 | +4.4% | +3.4% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 300,000 | 327,000 | 330,000 | +9.0% | +0.9% | |
| Apartments | 215,000 | 229,000 | 235,000 | +6.5% | +2.6% | |
| PROVINCE OF LUXEMBOURG | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 195,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | +2.6% | 0.0% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 250,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 | +8.0% | 0.0% | |
| Apartments | 185,000 | 204,000 | 200,000 | +10.3% | -2.0% | |
| PROVINCE OF NAMUR | Houses with 2 or 3 outside walls (attached + semi-detached houses) | 186,000 | 190,500 | 202,750 | +2.4% | +6.4% |
| Houses with 4 outside walls or more (detached houses) | 247,500 | 250,000 | 270,000 | +1.0% | +8.0% | |
| Apartments | 170,500 | 189,000 | 175,000 | +10.9% | -7.4% | |
General overview
The statistic on house prices is based on the deeds of sale registered by the FPS Finances, and more specifically the General Administration of the Patrimonial Documentation (GAPD), better known as the land registry. Until 2004, the necessary data were transmitted to Statbel on paper. From 2005 onwards, the data were transmitted in digital format, based on the registration system CADNET/LOCO. From 2016 onwards, the STIPAD system replaced the CADNET/LOCO system within the GAPD. This document describes the methodology used to calculate house prices.
Direct sales versus public sales
In the case of a direct sale of real estate, the buyer and the seller agree on a selling price.
In the case of a public sale, the property is sold according to the highest bid system. The sale is usually conducted under the direction of a notary in a public space (e.g. a café) and is announced in a local newspaper, for example.
Real estate prices as calculated by Statbel are based on both direct sales and public sales.
Preliminary sales agreement versus deed of sale
In the case of a direct sale of real estate, a preliminary sales agreement is first signed between the seller and the buyer. The signature of the notarial deed of sale takes place with a notary within 4 months of the signature of the preliminary sales agreement.
All preliminary sales agreements do not result in an actual sale. It is possible that the buyer does not find the necessary funding after the signature of the preliminary sales agreement because the bank refused the mortgage credit, for example.
Real estate prices as calculated by Statbel are based on the notarial deeds, i.e. on effective sales, and not on preliminary sales agreements.
Sales price
In addition to the agreed sales price, the buyer still has to pay additional costs, such as registration fees (or VAT in the case of a new building) and the notary's fees for drawing up the deed. If you take out a mortgage loan, the mortgage registration fees and any bank processing fees are added. For the calculation of real estate prices, we only take the agreed sales prices into account, excluding additional fees.
Type of property
Residential real estate
The data set of the land registry, to which Statbel had access from 2005 to 2017 for the calculation of real estate prices, included the following categories of properties:
- regular houses
- villas
- apartments
These categories are based on the nature mentioned on the cadastral plan. This nature is determined once the new building is completed. This nature is not always updated if the purpose of the building changes.
The breakdown into ‘regular house’ versus ‘villa’ is based on the (subjective) judgement of the evaluator of the land registry.
In the rest of the document, real estate prices calculated according to the breakdown above are mentioned as real estate prices according to the ‘former methodology’. From 2017 onwards, a more comprehensive data set, including a detailed description of the property, was made available to Statbel. It provides two additional variables: the nature according to the deed of sale and the construction code.
This additional information makes it possible to further optimise the methodology:
- In order to determine the type of building, we no longer use the nature mentioned in the cadastral plan, but the nature mentioned in the deed of sale. This nature is more up to date because it is identified (by the notary) at the time of each sale.
- Houses are now objectively broken down according to the number of facades. The former method made the distinction between regular houses and villas, but this qualification is subjective. In the modified methodology, we now distinguish attached and semi-detached houses (2 or 3 facades) and detached houses (4 facades or more).
In the rest of the document, real estate prices calculated based on the nature in the deed of sale are mentioned as real estate prices according to the ‘new methodology’.
Building plots
The additional variables do not make it possible to calculate reference prices for building plots. The reason is that a large part of actual building plots was assigned to a residential category, in which we can find anything: agricultural lands, industrial lands, building plots, etc. This concerns more than 50 % of all building plots.
Other types of properties
In the same way, for non-residential properties (agriculture, commercial, etc.), the database of the land registry does not allow to calculate results. Properties in this category are very often sold in lots, with other plots with different purposes for a total price, so that it is not possible to calculate a price per individual property and therefore the median prices per category.
New buildings
In the former methodology, all transactions that were in the summary data set of the land registry were included in the calculation. It also included part of the new constructions.
Thanks to the more detailed data set available to Statbel since 2016 and after a joint analysis with the land registry, it appeared that not all actual new constructions were included in the data set and that the data on new constructions that were included were not always accurate. The land registry’s database does not allow to build up a correct picture of the total sales of new constructions. For this reason, the new optimised methodology only takes into account the secondary real estate market (resale) and all transactions relating to new constructions are eliminated.
Cleansing of data sets
The data sets provided by the land registry are cleaned in two ways.
On the one hand, all transactions that do not belong to the statistical universe are eliminated. These transactions are not taken into account in the calculation of the reference price or of the number of transactions. This concerns for example transfers due to inheritances. In the optimised methodology, new constructions are also eliminated.
In the same way, transactions for which essential data are unknown - e.g. the date of sale or the type of property - are also eliminated.
On the other hand, filters are used to identify missing data. In this case, the missing data make it possible to include transactions in the calculation of the number of transactions, but they are not taken into account in the calculation of the reference price. This concerns for example transactions for which only the price is missing. Transactions relating to the sale of several properties in one lot for an overall price are also included in this category.
Results
In the former methodology, the results calculated include average prices, median prices, percentile prices, the number of transactions, total prices and total surface areas.
In the new optimised methodology, the results calculated include median prices, percentile prices and the number of transactions.
The results are grouped per year, per semester or quarter, per type of dwelling and per location (municipalities, districts, provinces, regions and country).
Reference price: average price versus median price
For statistical breakdowns characterised by observations with extreme values (e.g. the sales price of real estate), it should be taken into account that the average, as the central measuring tool, is strongly influenced by these extreme values: an extreme value will steer the average towards it to a large extent.
The median price is a more appropriate measuring tool. This is the price against which 50% of transactions are cheaper and 50% more expensive. The influence of these extreme values on this measuring tool is minimal or non-existent: the median does not change, or hardly changes, if an extreme value is added to or removed from the calculation (unlike the average). So, the median price is a more stable measuring tool than the average price.
In Statbel's publications, the median price is used as reference price.
Percentile price
Percentile prices are additional measuring tools that, with the median price, give a better picture of the statistical breakdown of prices. The 25th percentile (also called the first quartile: Q25) is the price against which 25 % of transactions are as expensive or cheaper, while 75 % of transactions are as expensive or more expensive.
The 75th percentile (also called the third quartile: Q75) is the price against which 75 % of transactions are as expensive or cheaper, while 25 % of transactions are as expensive or more expensive.
Median and percentile prices are published only for 16 transactions with valid prices per aggregate, in order to achieve a certain degree of representativeness and to guarantee the confidentiality of individual data. The land registry’s database sometimes contains transactions with no valid price. These transactions are included in the total number of transactions, but not in the price calculation. If, for an aggregate, there is one or more transactions whose price is not valid, the number of transactions for which prices are shown will be greater than the limit of 16 transactions referred to above, in accordance with the number of transactions whose price is not valid.
Total price
Given the relatively high number of transactions for which the price is missing (especially since STIPAD), we no longer publish the total price in the new optimised methodology.