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The cheaper properties offer a route to homeownership, but buyers face compromises ranging from missing utilities to financing and legal obstacles.
The trend is particularly evident around Budapest, in the Southern Great Plain and in northeastern Hungary, the real estate agency said in an analysis.
Properties on plots known as zártkertek, often associated with small-scale cultivation, vineyards and former agricultural buildings, are increasingly being used as permanent homes.
Around the capital, the shift is especially pronounced in the Zsámbék Basin, including Biatorbágy, Zsámbék and Tök.
Buyers include divorced and single people, those emerging from personal crises and workers relocating from other parts of Hungary who can no longer afford properties within built-up areas. Limited infrastructure and distance from services make these locations a less common choice for families with young children.
“There is a nominal price advantage of around 50% for garden-plot properties compared with properties in built-up areas, but a direct price comparison is structurally misleading,” said Dezső Varga, head of OTP Ingatlanpont’s Budapest region.
“The built-up-area market does not include the 35-50-square-meter microhomes found on these garden plots. These plots have effectively become the Hungarian countryside’s ‘Tiny House’ movement, born not of fashion or design but of harsh economic necessity.”
In sought-after locations such as Zsámbék, properties converted for residential use command HUF 800,000-1 million per square meter, Varga said.
Prices for habitable garden-plot properties start at around HUF 40 million, while a cellar unsuitable for residential use can be available for HUF 15 million. Converting a derelict building into a comfortable home can require additional spending running into millions or tens of millions of forints, particularly for insulation and alternatives to mains utilities.
In the Southern Great Plain, habitable properties on garden plots and vineyard land generally cost HUF 150,000-350,000 per square meter, with substantial variation depending on condition and utility connections.
“In accessible garden-plot areas close to settlements in the Southern Great Plain, the wave of people moving out has already become a force for community building, with neighbors following similar lifestyles,” said Szilvia Piros, the agency’s regional head.
She identified more active demand around Mórahalom, Ásotthalom, Domaszék and Csongrád in the Csongrád wine region, as well as near the Hajós Cellar Village in the Hajós-Baja wine region.
Most buyers choose these properties for their lower prices, accepting reliance on drilled wells, individual wastewater treatment systems and unpaved roads. A smaller group of financially secure buyers is drawn by wine culture and rural living.
Piros said Hajós also attracts some buyers from abroad with personal or family connections to the area, reflecting the settlement’s strong ethnic German heritage.
Properties that can be made habitable start at HUF 10 million-15 million in the region. Comfortable homes ready for immediate occupancy typically carry asking prices of HUF 20 million-30 million or more. Cellars retained for recreational use and unsuitable for housing sell for HUF 8 million-15 million.
In northeastern Hungary, garden-plot properties are available at prices 30%-50% below those of houses in built-up areas. Habitable buildings start at HUF 150,000 per square meter, with entry prices of HUF 10 million-15 million.
“There is genuine demand for garden plots in the region, but the market is not driven solely by the lowest price,” said Sándor Farsang, OTP Ingatlanpont’s regional head for northeastern Hungary.
“Buyers are looking exclusively for properties that are easily accessible, have at least electricity and water, have a clear legal status and can be made comfortable at a reasonable cost.”
Properties without utilities, in isolated locations or with unresolved legal issues remain difficult to sell even at substantial discounts, he said.
Small recreational cellars change hands for HUF 2 million-10 million. Demand for large, operating wineries is much narrower, with challenges facing the wine industry limiting investor interest.
OTP Ingatlanpont said purchases of outlying and garden-plot properties require careful assessment of their legal status, zoning and infrastructure.
Missing mains utilities may require buyers to rely on wells, cesspits or individual wastewater treatment systems, while unpaved roads can complicate access.
Financing can also be difficult because most agricultural buildings cannot be financed with conventional home loans, the agency said.
Procedures for removing land from agricultural cultivation classifications and restrictions on registering a residential address may create additional administrative burdens. OTP Ingatlanpont advised buyers to verify each property’s legal status and local zoning designation before committing to a purchase.
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