The shortage of affordable housing, the population decline in rural Greece and young people’s limited interest in technical jobs emerged as three major challenges for the property market at Prodexpo 2026, taking place at the Athens Conservatoire on 14-15 October.
New research by Spitogatos found that demand pressure relative to available supply is three times as high in the rental market as in the sales market, while a nationwide survey by Orientum found that technical jobs ranked only 36th among 38 occupational categories in the preferences of secondary school students.
Spitogatos: Affordable homes face eight times the pressure of more expensive ones
The scale of the imbalance between supply and demand was outlined by Dimitris Melachroinos, Spitogatos co-founder and chief executive, and Dimitris Tsatiris, the company’s chief operating officer, drawing on an analysis of available properties and the behaviour of users looking for homes.
The data show that nationwide there are 2.4 unique expressions of interest for every available rental property, compared with 0.79 for properties for sale. There are 23 searches per property for rentals, compared with almost 12 for sales. The greatest pressure is at the lower end of the price range.
In Attica, demand for homes renting for less than €600 far outstrips available supply, while many properties in this category have low energy ratings or need renovation.
In the sales market, the biggest shortfall is in homes priced at up to €300,000, which also attract the majority of searches from Greek buyers. By contrast, the balance between supply and demand is more even for higher-priced properties, particularly those above €550,000.
The analysis revealed wide disparities even between neighbouring areas. In Kefalari, there were almost eight expressions of interest per available property and 262 searches per property priced at up to €300,000. In Neo Psychiko, pressure to rent a home for up to €600 was particularly high. Mr Melachroinos said affordable housing faced, on average, eight times the pressure of more expensive homes, while the gap between nearby areas could reach 12 to 14 times.
The two Spitogatos representatives said a rapid and substantial increase in the supply of homes was needed. Mr Tsatiris said that demand-boosting schemes such as “My Home”, although socially driven, exacerbate the imbalance when they are not accompanied by an increase in available housing stock. «What we believe needs to happen is this supply shock, with a lot of properties brought on to the market», he said, stressing that measures should be targeted rather than applied across the board, as shortages vary significantly from one area to another.
Metsovo: From 4,000 residents to 1,200
The difficult reality facing rural Greece was highlighted by Metsovo Mayor Maria-Christina Averoff during a discussion on revitalising villages and renewing their populations, moderated by Dimand chief executive Dimitris Andriopoulos.
«When I was growing up in Metsovo, there were 4,000 of us. Now there are barely 1,200», she said, describing the shrinking local community. She said the area’s sheep population, once about 30,000, had fallen to around 5,000, reflecting the decline of livestock farming and economic activity. She argued that saving every small settlement was unrealistic without an overall plan, and proposed strengthening larger villages so they could serve as support centres for smaller communities.
Evangelos Kyriazopoulos, Secretary-General for Spatial Planning and the Urban Environment, acknowledged that reversing population decline required a combination of policies and time. Access to health and education services was crucial, he said, citing Metsovo and the wider Epirus region as examples of areas showing resilience.
Sotiris Tsoukarelis, of the The High Mountains cooperative, described the difficulties faced by those trying to settle in mountain villages. «The absence of basic services, shops, medical care and everyday infrastructure leads many to return to the cities within months or years». As he stressed, «settling in the countryside requires not only a home and a job, but also skills that people who have grown up in urban centres often lack».
Survey: Just 2.52% interested in technical jobs
A nationwide survey of occupational interests by Orientum highlighted a serious problem for the future of the construction industry. Its findings were presented by the company’s co-founder, Spyros Michaloulis.
The survey, which involved about 27,000 secondary school students between 2022 and 2024, examined teenagers’ interest in 38 occupational categories. Technical jobs ranked 36th, with just 2.52% of students showing a high level of interest. Logistics ranked 33rd, construction 31st, tourism and hospitality 30th, and mechanical engineering 24th. Business and entrepreneurship topped the list.
The gap was even wider among girls: just 0.53% showed a high level of interest in technical jobs, 4.30% in construction and 4.29% in mechanical engineering.
He attributed part of the problem to students’ lack of information about the career options available to them and to stereotypes that continue to influence their decisions. «It is not enough simply to create jobs; we also have to make young people want to choose them», he said, urging businesses to engage with students while they are still at school.