The expert spoke about family mortgages in the secondary housing market

From April 1, 2025, the Family Mortgage program will be available not only for the purchase of housing in a new building, but also on the secondary market. The innovation is aimed at improving the housing conditions of families with children who live in cities with limited construction of new housing. Alexander Chernokulsky, director of Zhilfond, told Izvestia on March 31.

The conditions for issuing a "Family mortgage" in the secondary market will be similar to those that apply to new buildings: families with at least one child under the age of six can use the loan, the loan amount is up to 6 million rubles at 6% per annum, the term is up to 30 years, and the initial payment is at least 20%. One of the main conditions is that the property must be located in a city where no more than two apartment buildings are being built. The second condition is that the house where the apartment is planned to be purchased must be at least 20 years old and not recognized as an emergency.

"At first glance, we can be happy for families living in regions with a small volume of construction — they will have the opportunity to purchase an apartment on preferential terms, rather than at a market rate with a monthly payment that is unaffordable for most people in the regions," he said.

Preferential qualification: the expansion of family mortgages will lead to an increase in house prices up to 20%

The Cabinet of Ministers is discussing access to the program for couples with children under 18 years of age — why is this impractical

The expert notes that the selling price per square meter in one-room apartments and studios is usually the highest, so there are at least half of such apartments in modern houses. According to the unified information system of housing construction, 53% of all apartments under construction in the Russian Federation are one-room apartments today.

"A small studio apartment or studio is, to put it mildly, not the most comfortable option for a family with at least one small child. However, it is precisely such options that have been built more and more over the past 20 years and are more often resold on the secondary market — people usually buy two- and three—bedroom apartments in new buildings to live on their own, less often for investment and rental, because they are much less liquid," the expert noted.

There are resort cities on the list of cities approved for the program, such as Gelendzhik and Tuapse. There is a high probability that not only families who really need better housing conditions will start buying housing here, but investors will also consider the possibilities. This can trigger a local price increase, making such real estate less accessible to local residents. In this regard, the possibility of introducing an additional condition is being discussed — the presence of permanent registration in the city where the apartment is being purchased.

How the program will actually work in the secondary market, what the consequences will be and whether it will help those to whom it is addressed, will become clear only at least three to four months after the launch," Chernokulsky summed up.

Earlier, on March 21, the company "Dom.RF" has published a list of cities available for family mortgages for secondary housing. It was clarified that Russians can purchase secondary housing on a family mortgage at a rate of 6% per annum in 901 settlements. Among them are Murmansk, Vorkuta, Gelendzhik, Norilsk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Nazran, Ukhta, Yeniseisk and others. So, the list includes cities from almost all regions except the capital.