Housing: real estate developers sink a little deeper into the crisis

The real estate promotion sector continues to struggle, with new housing sales down 32.1% compared to Q3 2025, according to the FPI. Rising mortgage rates, influenced by the European Central Bank and government bond yields, are discouraging buyers. In the first nine months of 2026, sales fell by 9.8%, with a staggering 54% drop in Île-de-France. Construction starts also declined significantly, with only 36,000 new projects in Q3, compared to an average of 50,000 from 2015 to 2018. Pascal Boulanger, FPI president, expresses concern over the weak demand and lack of new listings.