Renovation property above all needs clarity in 2026. Discover how real estate agents give buyers more insight into renovation costs, EPC impact and feasibility.
6 min read
The real estate market is holding up, but buyers are deciding more cautiously. That is one of the main conclusions of the first CIB Trendmeter Real Estate 2026. The market is not stalling, but it is moving more slowly. Prospective buyers take more time, sales conversations go deeper, and homes that need work run into hesitation sooner.
For real estate agents, that is an important signal.
Not because renovation property has lost its potential. On the contrary. Many homes with a less favourable EPC label, outdated technical installations or renovation needs hold a great deal of value. But today that potential has to be made far more concrete than before.
Because someone buying a home does not only want to know what the property costs today. They also want to understand what will be needed afterwards. That is also why Setle was integrated into the RealSmart platform: to help real estate professionals bring renovation information into the sales process faster and more clearly.
According to the CIB Trendmeter 2026 Q1, real estate professionals see a clear shift in the preferences of prospective buyers. Interest in move-in-ready properties is rising sharply, while interest in renovation property is falling.
That says a lot about the current market.
Kristophe Thijs, director of communication and spokesperson for CIB, explains: “Buyers are not necessarily less interested in characterful homes, older properties or houses with renovation potential. But they have become more cautious. The combination of purchase price, interest rates, the renovation obligation, the EPC label, construction costs and premiums makes the decision process more complex.”
A home that needs renovation therefore immediately raises extra questions:
As long as those questions go unanswered, renovation property feels like a risk to many buyers.
The falling interest in renovation property does not have to mean that buyers are writing off properties in need of work for good. Often the problem is not the property itself, but the uncertainty around it.
A move-in-ready home sells more easily today because it offers clarity. The buyer sees what they are getting, can assess the total cost sooner and has to account for less work in the short or medium term.
With renovation property, that clarity is often missing.
Yet that is exactly where the difference can be made. A home with a less favourable EPC label or dated finishes can become attractive again once the renovation story is made concrete. Not with vague indicative prices or general explanations, but with a clear renovation budget, an overview of priority works and insight into the possible impact on the EPC label.
That changes the conversation.
From: “This property still needs a lot of work.”
To: “This is what is needed, this is the estimated cost and this is what it can deliver.”
Since the renovation obligation, the EPC label is no longer a detail in the sales file. For houses and apartments with EPC label E or F, the buyer has to account for mandatory energy renovations towards at least label D.
That has a direct impact on the buying process.
A buyer does not only look at the sale price, but at the total investment. The purchase price plus registration duties, notary fees, renovation costs, possible premiums, timing and financing together form the real decision framework.
The CIB Trendmeter also shows that buyers take more time to decide. That makes the role of the real estate agent more important. In a slower and more selective market, showing only a property’s strengths is not enough. The agent also has to help turn doubts into insight.
For renovation properties, that means in concrete terms:
That is not an extra sales trick. It is better guidance.
A buyer who knows where they stand is quicker to look again at what a property could become. And a seller gets a better-founded story about the value and the potential of the home.
The rising demand for move-in-ready homes is understandable. Buyers are looking for calm, certainty and predictability. But not every home is move-in-ready. And not every buyer benefits from ignoring properties that need work.
So the challenge for the sector is not only to offer more move-in-ready homes. The challenge is also to guide the homes that are not yet move-in-ready better.
Because renovation property still has a place in the market. Certainly when the story adds up, the budget is clear and the buyer understands which steps are needed.
In a cautious market, the property without work does not necessarily win. The property with the clearest picture of its future stands at least as good a chance.
For agents, this is the moment to build renovation information structurally into sales files. Not as an annex afterwards, but as part of the first conversation with prospective buyers.
A renovation report can help to answer the questions that weigh heaviest today more quickly:
Answering those questions clearly lowers the threshold for prospective buyers. And that is exactly what can make the difference between hesitation and action.
Kristophe Thijs sums up: “The CIB Trendmeter 2026 confirms what many real estate professionals feel in practice today: the market stays active, but buyers are more cautious. They want more certainty, more insight and fewer surprises.”
For renovation property, that is not a threat but a clear assignment.
Make the potential visible.
Make the costs understandable.
Make the EPC impact concrete.
And give prospective buyers the confidence to look at the possibilities again.
Because renovation property does not sell harder because it has no value. It sells harder when that value is not clear enough.
With Setle, you give renovation properties a stronger story again.
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