Large block residential buildings, though durable, need modernization.
Is the large block real estate market one step from disaster?
According to data collected by SonarHome, their prices are currently slightly falling, but it is hard to call this a crisis.
For example, in 2024-2025 in most large Polish cities the median price of "large block" fell, but it is a matter of correction.
In the studied period prices in Kraków fell by 3,5% (to about 12.7k PLN/m²), 1,9% in Wrocław (11.2k PLN/m²), 1.6% in Warsaw (14.2k PLN/m²) and in Poznań – 0.3% (9.6k PLN/m²).
In Łódź a stabilization was noted (7.4k PLN/m²), and Gdańsk can "boast" an increase of 1.1% (12.3k PLN/m²).
Source: SonarHome.pl
How do prices of older construction compare to new apartments? In Gdańsk we talk about a difference of about 15-17% (average 14.4k PLN per square meter for recent apartments versus 12.3k PLN for large block).
In Warsaw this rises to about 26-28% (17.9k PLN versus 14.3k PLN), and in Kraków 25-34% (17.1k PLN versus 12.7k PLN).
In Łódź the gap is already very large – over 50% (11.4k PLN versus 7.4k PLN).
"The observed changes are an important signal that the market is not just reacting to large block price drops, but rather adjusting them within a broader cycle," said Anton Bubiel, housing market expert at SonarHome.pl.
He added that "the scale of changes is limited and it is hard to talk about a structural reversal of the trend".
"In practice this means that apartments from this segment still find buyers and liquidity is maintained, despite increasing competition from newer construction," he said.
"In this context, it is especially important to look at the large block segment through the prism of real transactions, not just expert debates. These best show whether concerns about the future of these buildings are already "priced" by the market or still mainly a public narrative," he added.
Source: SonarHome.pl
See also: 52% of real estate sits on the market for more than 60 days. Sales of unwanted apartments worth billions plummeted
Fear has big eyes
There is a lot of talk in Poland about problems of construction from the 70s and 80s, but buyers of apartments are not particularly concerned by this narrative.
"Currently the large block remains an important element of the housing market, especially in large cities, where it offers relatively good location at a lower price. It is this combination that still attracts buyers and stabilizes this market segment. But the real test is still ahead," summarized Anton Bubiel.
"It will not be a sudden "20-30 years to the end", but rather a long-term process in which the value of apartments will be decided not only by the construction technology of decades ago, but also by the ability to adapt – both buildings and entire estates," he added.
It is worth observing the movements of prices of similar properties.
If the scale of declines starts to accelerate it could be a warning signal. Especially since the maintenance costs of older blocks may rise, even if due to rising modernization costs, energy requirements and regulatory uncertainty.
Read also: Brutal data from the real estate market. 40k apartment sales agreements were cancelled this month
See also: A crack in the real estate market. "The year 2026 looks promising for buying an apartment"
