Real Estate Agent: Homes Getting Older; Average Age of Purchased Homes in Taipei Reaches 37 Years, Highest Among Six Special Municipalities

(Central News Agency reporter He Xiuling, Taipei, 3rd) Taiwan Realty stated that as housing prices become increasingly expensive, the homes people buy are also getting older. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior's Real Estate Information Platform, the average age of residential properties sold in Taiwan in the fourth quarter of 2025 was 31.7 years, an increase of about 2 years compared to the same period in 2024, setting a new historical high.

Taiwan Realty announced today via a press release that, observing the statistics, except for Taoyuan City, which had the youngest average purchased home age at 27.4 years, the remaining five special municipalities all had averages over 30 years. Taipei City had the oldest, with an average purchased home age of approximately 37 years, making it the city with the most severe aging of purchased homes among the six.

Chang Hsu-lan, Executive Director of the Taiwan Realty Group Trend Center, stated that the main factors for the aging of purchased homes are high housing prices and urban renewal fever. As housing prices continue to climb, many homebuyers can only lower their purchasing threshold by 'trading age for price,' which continuously pushes up the average age of homes purchased in the market.

She said that especially in the prime areas of Taipei City, development is mature, old houses are plentiful, and new houses are expensive. Buying old homes and renovating them has become the mainstay of market transactions. Additionally, it is difficult to find vacant land in metropolitan areas, and land financing conditions are strict, making dangerous old building redevelopment a key focus for construction companies in recent years. This has made transactions for old houses over 30 years old with redevelopment potential more active, further driving up the age of purchased homes.

As for Taoyuan City having the youngest average purchased home age among the six special municipalities, this is mainly attributed to the 'escape from Taipei' trend of population influx, the development of new urban planning zones, and the impetus from MRT construction. Many newly developed areas have released a large supply of new homes, attracting first-time homebuyers and young families from the Taipei, New Taipei, and Taoyuan area, helping to keep the age of purchased homes young.

Chang pointed out that while old homes have advantages such as lower total prices and mature location functions, they may also face problems like structural aging, increased maintenance costs, and limited loan conditions, affecting living quality and causing financial pressure from loans. As Taiwan enters an aged society, the age of purchased homes is also aging simultaneously. In the future, this may gradually form a social phenomenon of 'elderly people living in old houses,' and dangerous old building redevelopment will remain a core development trend in the housing market.

Regarding 'young home' hotspots, according to Taiwan Realty's statistics for Q4 2025, among the districts in the six special municipalities, Neihu District in Taipei City had the youngest average purchased home age, but it was still 30.8 years. Other areas like Tamsui District in New Taipei City and Taoyuan District in Taoyuan City had average purchased home ages in the early 20s. The district with the youngest average purchased home age among all districts in the six special municipalities was Shanhua District in Tainan City, with an average of only about 14.7 years. (Editor: Lin Chia-hsien) 1150603