New analysis reveals properties requiring renovation remain significantly cheaper than ready-to-live-in homes in Portugal.
Properties needing renovation have an average advertised price of €150,000 in Portugal, €240,000 less than the average €390,000 asked for ready-to-live-in homes, Executive Digest reports.
An analysis by Imovirtual identified this difference in the real estate market between January and September 2026.
Buying homes which require renovation continues to represent an alternative for those seeking a lower initial investment, yet the financial advantage depends on several factors such as location, area, and the state of conservation.
It is therefore necessary to add the budget for renovation to the purchase price.
Apartment prices
The analysis shows substantial differences between properties needing renovation and those ready for occupancy.
For apartments requiring renovation, the average advertised price rose from €150,000 in 2025 to €225,000 in 2026, an increase of 50%. In comparison, ready-to-live-in apartments saw a 5.4% increase, reaching an average price of €353,000.
The current price difference between the two segments is €128,000, although renovation costs may reduce the initial savings.
Sylvia Bozzo, Marketing Manager at Imovirtual, explains: “Buying a property to renovate can be an alternative for those looking for a lower purchase price, but it is essential to evaluate the investment as a whole. The budget for the works, the deadlines and the condition of the property are crucial to understand if this option is really advantageous.”
House prices
In the housing sector, the price difference is even more evident. A ready-to-live-in home costs €485,000 on average, while a property requiring renovation has an average advertised price of €130,000 euros, marking a difference of €355,000.
Losing market share
According to an analysis by Imovirtual, properties for renovation are losing market share in the Portuguese real estate market. In 2025, they accounted for 13.8% of the listings, a proportion that fell to 10.5% in 2026, a decrease of 3.3 percentage points.
Meanwhile, the share of ready-to-move-in properties increased from 86.2% to 89.5% of advertised listings, meaning that almost nine out of ten properties available on the platform now fall into this category.
Property listings
Properties requiring renovation have a bigger concentration in the districts of Setúbal, Lisbon, and Porto, with these three regions accounting for 42.7% of the property listings for renovation analysed in 2026.
Setúbal comes in first place, concentrating 15.5% of the supply, followed by Lisbon, with 14.5%, and Porto, with 12.7%.
Buyer preferences
According to Imovirtual, platform users show a growing preference for ready-to-live-in properties, with this segment accounting for 80.4% of views in 2026, up from 76.3% in the previous year.
Properties requiring renovation saw their share of views decline from 23.7% to 19.6%. Nevertheless, they continue to attract interest beyond their share of the market, accounting for just 10.5% of listings but receiving nearly twice that proportion of views.