It was found that housing purchase sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area rose in the past month. Seoul's dwellings purchase sentiment index climbed to its highest level in seven months, and Seoul's jeonse market consumer sentiment index hit a record high for the first time in four years and three months. Analysts said expectations have risen that home prices and jeonse prices will increase, centered on Seoul and the greater capital region.
On the 20th, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS) released the consumer sentiment survey for the real estate market for January 2026, showing that the nationwide dwellings purchase market consumer sentiment index rose 6.3 points (p) from the previous month to 122.1, maintaining an upward phase.
The real estate market consumer sentiment index surveys brokerages and general households. When the index exceeds 100, it means there are more responses that prices have risen or that transaction has increased. Below 95 indicates a downward phase, 95 or more to less than 115 indicates a flat phase, and 115 or more indicates an upward phase.
By region, the Seoul metropolitan area (127.5) rose 7.7p from the previous month, maintaining an upward phase. Seoul's dwellings purchase consumer sentiment index was 138.2. This is the highest figure in seven months since 150.3 in June. Seoul's dwellings purchase consumer sentiment index rose to 137.5 in October last year when home prices were surging. However, it fell to 128.3 in November, when the Oct. 15 package, which designated all of Seoul and 12 locations in Gyeonggi as regulated areas and land transaction permit zones, was implemented, and recorded 130.9 in December. Gyeonggi (124.1) and Incheon (114.9) also rose by 6.4p and 15.1p, respectively, from the previous month.
Non-capital regions (115.4) also rose 4.9p from the previous month, shifting to an upward phase.
Meanwhile, the nationwide dwellings jeonse market consumer sentiment index rose 2.1p from the previous month to 110.7, maintaining a flat phase. Seoul's jeonse market consumer sentiment index recorded 116, entering an upward phase. This is the highest figure since October 2021 (119.9), when the jeonse shortage persisted. The jeonse market consumer sentiment indexes of Incheon (107.1→109.3) and Gyeonggi (109.7→112.6) also increased.