The decline marks a sharp pivot from the previous five quarters, which had seen modest gains following years of stagnation during the country’s worst property crisis in decades. While the residential market managed to hold onto a 1.9% annual increase, commercial assets—specifically office and retail buildings—failed to maintain momentum after a marginal 0.5% gain earlier this year.

Jens Tolckmitt, CEO of the VDP, attributed the divergence to the commercial sector’s heightened vulnerability to global instability. According to Tolckmitt, the market remains tethered to the trajectory of geopolitical tensions, which continue to drive interest rate volatility and dampen investor sentiment. This cooling trend aligns with a July survey showing a significant plunge in confidence among major commercial real estate financiers, suggesting that the path toward stabilization remains fraught with uncertainty.