Lebanon’s real estate sector spent the opening months of 2026 absorbing the blow of renewed conflict. According to Credit Libanais Economic Research, the number of property transactions in the first five months of the year fell 32.25% year on year, to 19,097 deals from 28,189 a year earlier, while their combined value dropped 17.79%. The bank attributed the slowdown directly to the fighting that flared up again at the start of March.
Once the rebound arrived, though, it moved quickly. Credit Libanais picked up the first signs of a turnaround in May, when transactions rose 4.64% month on month following the mid-April ceasefire. Activity then picked up sharply in June, reaching 4,999 transactions according to BLOMInvest Bank’s analysis of land registry figures. July added another 6.18%, bringing the monthly total to 5,308 deals, the strongest month so far this year, based on Credit Libanais’ latest review of the registry data.
Still, a rebound is not the same thing as a full recovery. Cumulative figures from Credit Libanais show 29,404 property transactions recorded through July, still 25.54% below the 39,490 logged over the same stretch of 2025. The value of those deals, however, fell by a much smaller 5.36%, to roughly $3.25 billion. Those of us working in the market felt the change before the latest numbers confirmed it: inquiries that had gone quiet during the spring turmoil started turning back into closed deals as conditions settled.
Financing, by contrast, is moving at a slower pace. The Housing Bank, the state-backed lender that relaunched its subsidised home-loan program in 2024 after a suspension of more than five years, has been gradually scaling up. As of July 2, it had issued 1,059 loans worth $74 million, including 980 apartment-purchase loans totalling $68.9 million, according to the Housing Bank’s own figures.
The bank also trimmed the annual interest rate on loans funded through the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development from 6% to 5.75%, effective July 1, after Banque du Liban dropped a 0.25% administrative fee. That dedicated Arab Fund credit line, worth about $165 million, had already allowed the Housing Bank to double the ceiling on its subsidised home loan from $50,000 to $100,000 in 2025.
This is meaningful progress, especially for the low- and middle-income households the program was built to serve. Yet its scale remains small next to the overall size of Lebanon’s property market. For many buyers, particularly those looking in the country’s most expensive neighbourhoods, access to financing, and how much of it is available, remains a serious obstacle.
This is where financing and property prices intersect. Data from DoorEast’s Market Trends & Insights, which tracks asking prices across hundreds of locations, helps show where a targeted housing program like the Housing Bank’s can make the biggest difference.
In the more affordable areas, average asking prices sit at about $842 per square metre in Dawhet Aramoun, $972 in Jbeil, $1,378 in Dekwaneh and $1,744 in Jounieh. At these price points, the Housing Bank can make a real contribution for eligible families buying a qualifying primary residence. Loans can reach up to $100,000, although the amount a borrower actually receives depends on their circumstances and on the program’s eligibility rules.
The picture changes entirely in Beirut’s priciest districts. DoorEast data puts average asking prices at around $3,091 per square metre in Achrafieh, roughly $3,700 in the Carré d’Or, $4,415 in Ras Beirut and $6,402 in Beirut Downtown. In these markets, a targeted subsidised loan can cover only part of the financing picture at best, and it was never intended to serve the full range of purchases.
| Area | Average asking price / m² |
| Dawhet Aramoun | $842 |
| Jbeil (Byblos) | $972 |
| Dekwaneh | $1,378 |
| Jounieh | $1,744 |
| Achrafieh | $3,091 |
| Carré d’Or, Achrafieh | ~$3,700 |
| Ras Beirut | $4,415 |
| Beirut Downtown | $6,402 |
These figures reflect asking prices, not completed sale prices. Actual transaction prices can differ depending on negotiation and on each property’s specific features, including its age, condition, floor level, view, finishing and exact location.
Readers who want a wider view of the market can browse properties for sale and for rent across Lebanon on DoorEast.
That is why the Housing Bank and the broader banking sector play distinct roles. The Housing Bank is an important financing route for the households and homes that meet its criteria. In higher-value markets, however, Lebanon will ultimately need commercial banks to return to sustainable, long-term mortgage lending.
A broader return of mortgage lending could well be one of the most decisive factors in the next phase of the property market’s recovery. Transactions can pick up on the strength of cash buyers alone, but a deeper and more durable market depends on more families being able to finance their home purchases. The Housing Bank is an important part of that story; a functioning mortgage market would extend it to a far wider pool of buyers and properties.