The spike in home stay due to the pandemic and global lockdowns has turned those seeking housing into larger homes, making it easier for more than one tenant to coexist. This finding, which in the midst of quarantine was fully realized by those who work remotely and have small children, is confirmed by the research of the advertisement site Spitogatos on the most popular areas of 2020 for searching for a house for rent and sale in Athens and Thessaloniki.
Double-digit growth In particular, the demand for rental housing, based on searches conducted in the Spitogatos network in 2020 compared to the same period last year, records a double-digit growth rate in areas outside the Municipality of Athens, with the scepter holding Sounio (+ 47%) , Vilia (+ 45%), Keratea (+ 44%), Ano Liosia (43%) and Markopoulo (+ 42%). In Thessaloniki, the increase in interest in renting a house was small and was observed in a few areas, including Pylaia (+ 7%) and Kalamaria (7%), while demand remained stable in Toumba. However, based on the number of searches for lease (not the rate of change) in Attica, the Ampelokipoi-Pentagon area is at the top, with the top five being completed by Pagrati, Neos Kosmos, the Kolonaki-Lykavittos district and Petralona. Regarding the market, the most sought after area for buying a house in 2020 was Kolonaki-Lycabettus, while most of the corresponding searches were attracted by Ampelokipoi-Pentagon, Pagrati, the historic center and Kypseli. According to Spitogatos' research, during 2020, the popularity of the western suburbs of Attica as a real estate market area increased. In other words, the demand increased significantly in New Philadelphia (+ 35%), Acharnes (+ 35%), Metamorfosi (+ 34%), Ilion (+ 34%) and Kamatero (+ 33%). In Thessaloniki, the most popular areas for both renting and buying a house for 2020 are completely identical. This means that the city center and Toumba are at the top of the preferences of both interested tenants and buyers. In comparison with Attica, where there was an increase in demand in the western suburbs, in Thessaloniki the peripheral municipalities attracted a significant increase in demand, with Panorama (+ 26%), Thermi (+ 25%), Oreokastro (+ 24%) , Mikra (+ 23%) and Pefka (+ 22%) to be at the top of the relevant list.
* The article is republished from the website www.kathimerini.gr
