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Living in the same place: Why do Argentines rarely move? - Ambito Financiero
Source:
www.ambito.com
July 25, 2025
By José Luis Cieri
Housing turnover is minimal compared to developed countries. Lack of credit, attachment, and a rigid market limit residential mobility.
A couple moves boxes during their move. In Argentina, moving house remains an exception, marked by economic barriers and lack of financing.Pexels
In Argentina, moving house is not common . Unlike in countries like the United States , the United Kingdom, or France, where a person moves between six and ten times throughout their life, in Argentina this cycle is limited to one or two moves per purchase. This low housing mobility is due to economic, cultural, and structural factors of the real estate market, and has urban, social, and financial consequences.
The concept that defines this dynamic is "housing turnover," which measures how many times a person moves to a new property as part of their life cycle. In countries with more flexible markets, it's common for people to buy a starter home, then a larger one during their upbringing years, and finally a more affordable one as they age. This model isn't replicated in Argentina .
The contrast is striking. In the United States, the average turnover rate is between 8 and 10 properties per person. The tax system, access to mortgage loans, and the culture of job mobility favor change. In the United Kingdom, the "housing ladder" allows for upward mobility in square meters or location with each move. France and Spain also show cycles of between 3 and 5 changes throughout a lifetime.
In Argentina, on the other hand, the culture of permanence is strong. Many people live in the same property for decades, whether due to inheritance, emotional attachment, or because moving involves high financial barriers. With credit scarcity ( banks have now restricted access with rate hikes and tougher conditions ), without tax incentives or a structure that facilitates transactions, the market becomes static.
This has urban consequences. In cities with high mobility, neighborhoods are renewed, supply is recycled, and values adjust more naturally to demand. In static markets, however, a rigidity is generated that hinders the entry of new buyers, especially young ones, and limits the turnover of the housing stock.
García Malbrán believes there is a window of opportunity: "With the relaunch of mortgage loans like the Historic Repair Plan and the UVA, we could begin to close the gap. But this requires economic stability and clear rules that allow families to plan ahead."
Another factor reinforcing immobility is informality. Many properties lack proper documentation or face long delays in succession procedures, which impedes their marketing. This reduces the effective supply and exacerbates the perception that there are no properties available.
García Malbrán insists that "the turnover is a sign of market vitality. Knowing that an Argentine moves house once or twice in their lifetime, while an American does so up to ten times, reveals a system trapped in inertia."
Stagnation also impacts urban development. Low mobility limits intermediate housing projects, hinders private investment, and concentrates demand in specific areas, leaving others underutilized. This creates imbalances, increases rent prices, and widens the gap between established areas and peripheral neighborhoods.
Two young people sign the paperwork for their first home. Fewer than 10% of buyers in the country have access to a mortgage loan.
The Argentine model is based on property ownership as the sole and definitive goal. But this idea, which made sense in other eras, now seems to hinder the market's evolution. In a global context where housing is also a tool for adaptation, investment, and development, rigidity becomes a limit.
For the head of CAMESI, the path lies in professionalizing the sector, creating sustainable financial instruments, and ensuring legal certainty at all stages. "We need to break down structural barriers that hinder access, mobility, and urban development. Deregulation of the real estate market is not only necessary: it will be decisive for the future of access to housing in the country."
This mobility, more forced than planned, occurs in a context of severe structural constraints. Renting often absorbs a large portion of monthly income, and the possibility of purchasing a property becomes increasingly remote. Moving, therefore, does not respond to a rationale for replacing housing or climbing the real estate ladder, but rather to defensive decisions linked to the cost of living or proximity to jobs.
For García Malbrán, "without so much credit and with a rigid market, housing ceases to be an evolving asset and becomes a point of arrival." In this context, young people's efforts to become independent or acquire their own home become a protracted process, marked more by survival than by estate planning.
The comparison with other markets is not intended to idealize foreign models, but rather to show that housing turnover is a key indicator of dynamism. In Argentina, reactivating this cycle could mean not only more transactions, but also more jobs, investment, and opportunities for new generations.
Without accessible credit, high transaction costs ( housing for less than $100,000 is becoming scarce in Buenos Aires ), and no tools to facilitate moving, most Argentines stay where they can, not where they want. Moving, far from being a common occurrence, is becoming an exception.
www.buysellba.com
Source:
Vivir en el lugar de siempre: ¿por qué los argentinos casi no cambian de casa?
El recambio habitacional es mínimo al compararse con países desarrollados. La falta de crédito, el apego y un mercado rígido limitan la movilidad residencial.
www.ambito.com
July 25, 2025
By José Luis Cieri
Housing turnover is minimal compared to developed countries. Lack of credit, attachment, and a rigid market limit residential mobility.
A couple moves boxes during their move. In Argentina, moving house remains an exception, marked by economic barriers and lack of financing.Pexels
In Argentina, moving house is not common . Unlike in countries like the United States , the United Kingdom, or France, where a person moves between six and ten times throughout their life, in Argentina this cycle is limited to one or two moves per purchase. This low housing mobility is due to economic, cultural, and structural factors of the real estate market, and has urban, social, and financial consequences.
The concept that defines this dynamic is "housing turnover," which measures how many times a person moves to a new property as part of their life cycle. In countries with more flexible markets, it's common for people to buy a starter home, then a larger one during their upbringing years, and finally a more affordable one as they age. This model isn't replicated in Argentina .
According to Mariano García Malbrán , president of the Chamber of Real Estate Services Companies (CAMESI), "in other countries, housing is part of a path to social and economic mobility; in Argentina, it remains a final destination or, worse yet, an unattainable goal." For him, limited access to credit, a lack of market dynamism, and structural conditions make moving house exceptional.The contrast is striking. In the United States, the average turnover rate is between 8 and 10 properties per person. The tax system, access to mortgage loans, and the culture of job mobility favor change. In the United Kingdom, the "housing ladder" allows for upward mobility in square meters or location with each move. France and Spain also show cycles of between 3 and 5 changes throughout a lifetime.
In Argentina, on the other hand, the culture of permanence is strong. Many people live in the same property for decades, whether due to inheritance, emotional attachment, or because moving involves high financial barriers. With credit scarcity ( banks have now restricted access with rate hikes and tougher conditions ), without tax incentives or a structure that facilitates transactions, the market becomes static.
This has urban consequences. In cities with high mobility, neighborhoods are renewed, supply is recycled, and values adjust more naturally to demand. In static markets, however, a rigidity is generated that hinders the entry of new buyers, especially young ones, and limits the turnover of the housing stock.
García Malbrán believes there is a window of opportunity: "With the relaunch of mortgage loans like the Historic Repair Plan and the UVA, we could begin to close the gap. But this requires economic stability and clear rules that allow families to plan ahead."
Another factor reinforcing immobility is informality. Many properties lack proper documentation or face long delays in succession procedures, which impedes their marketing. This reduces the effective supply and exacerbates the perception that there are no properties available.
More funding is needed
Financing is another key factor. In the last two decades, less than 10% of buyers in the country obtained a mortgage. Most transactions were made in cash, often with savings accumulated over years or through family support. This contrasts with countries where access to credit is the norm rather than the exception.García Malbrán insists that "the turnover is a sign of market vitality. Knowing that an Argentine moves house once or twice in their lifetime, while an American does so up to ten times, reveals a system trapped in inertia."
Stagnation also impacts urban development. Low mobility limits intermediate housing projects, hinders private investment, and concentrates demand in specific areas, leaving others underutilized. This creates imbalances, increases rent prices, and widens the gap between established areas and peripheral neighborhoods.
Two young people sign the paperwork for their first home. Fewer than 10% of buyers in the country have access to a mortgage loan.
The Argentine model is based on property ownership as the sole and definitive goal. But this idea, which made sense in other eras, now seems to hinder the market's evolution. In a global context where housing is also a tool for adaptation, investment, and development, rigidity becomes a limit.
For the head of CAMESI, the path lies in professionalizing the sector, creating sustainable financial instruments, and ensuring legal certainty at all stages. "We need to break down structural barriers that hinder access, mobility, and urban development. Deregulation of the real estate market is not only necessary: it will be decisive for the future of access to housing in the country."
Moving as an exception, not as a project
According to data from the National Population Directorate, the median age of those who move between provinces in Argentina is 31. This data confirms that young adults are the most likely to make internal residential moves, although these moves are mostly due to functional factors such as employment or study, and do not necessarily imply access to home ownership.This mobility, more forced than planned, occurs in a context of severe structural constraints. Renting often absorbs a large portion of monthly income, and the possibility of purchasing a property becomes increasingly remote. Moving, therefore, does not respond to a rationale for replacing housing or climbing the real estate ladder, but rather to defensive decisions linked to the cost of living or proximity to jobs.
For García Malbrán, "without so much credit and with a rigid market, housing ceases to be an evolving asset and becomes a point of arrival." In this context, young people's efforts to become independent or acquire their own home become a protracted process, marked more by survival than by estate planning.
The comparison with other markets is not intended to idealize foreign models, but rather to show that housing turnover is a key indicator of dynamism. In Argentina, reactivating this cycle could mean not only more transactions, but also more jobs, investment, and opportunities for new generations.
Without accessible credit, high transaction costs ( housing for less than $100,000 is becoming scarce in Buenos Aires ), and no tools to facilitate moving, most Argentines stay where they can, not where they want. Moving, far from being a common occurrence, is becoming an exception.
www.buysellba.com
