The "First Home" programme, currently frozen, is set to bemodified so that it should mainly bolster purchases of unfinishedhousing units, units built from scratch and new units, in thecontext where most housing units acquired through this programme in2009 were old ones.
"The programme is open to all options, to housing units underconstruction, unfinished units and finished ones. Research showsthat the over 10,000 applications for bought homes largely concernfinished homes," said Prime Minister Emil Boc.
Developers and real estate agency representatives contacted byZF say the programme should be continued in 2010, but with thenecessary modifications so that it may have a multiplier effect inthe economy. At the same time, they maintain that including ANL(National Housing Agency) in the programme would deal a lethal blowto the private environment.
The main change the private environment is awaiting is a raisein the ceiling for new homes, as they hardly meet the current60,000-euro ceiling.
"From my point of view, the programme should be reviewed andreset on fairer bases, namely be mainly centred on new homes,because it is only these that have a multiplier effect in theeconomy. The ceiling for old homes could be kept at 60,000 euros,but the one for new ones should be raised to 100,000 euros,"Cristian Clenciu, chairman of the Romanian Association of RealEstate Agencies, told ZF.
The programme is currently frozen. Starting January 1, theGuarantee Fund, providing state guarantees for mortgages releasedby banks, has not accepted any more applications as no normativedocument with regard to the sums due to be used this year has beenapproved.
Still, those who made payments in line with some pre-contractsfor the acquisition of housing units through the "First Home"programme can still acquire the respective units, according toBoc.
The Guarantee Fund in 2009 received 11,500 applications andgranted 485m-euro guarantees.
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
