Property gift transfers surge to 3-year high amid housing tax pressure

Home transfers hit a three-year high in 2025, possibly driven by homeowners wanting to avoid the higher housing taxes the government plans to introduce, data showed Tuesday. According to the Supreme Court’s online property ownership records, a total of 26,428 cases involving the transfer of multi-residential homes were reported nationwide from January to September. The properties involved were primarily apartments — the most popular form of housing in Korea — as well as more affordable options such as villas and officetels. The 2025 tally increased by 1,037 from the 25,391 reported between January and September in 2024, and marked the highest figure since 2022, when 34,829 cases were reported over the same nine-month period. Notably, gift transfers in Seoul this year reached 5,877 cases, up 19.6 percent from 4,912 cases in the same period last year. Of the nationwide increase of 1,037 cases from 2024 to 2025, Seoul accounted for 965 cases, or 93.05 percent. By district, Gangnam recorded the highest number of gift transfers in Seoul with 507 cases from January to September, followed bWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times