The rental market in Tirana has spiraled completely out of control, turning into a real nightmare for simple families and young people.
What was once considered abuse is now becoming normal, and the main culprits for this situation are real estate agents, who are behaving like speculators and not like professionals.
The clearest indicator of this madness are the recent listings in one of the areas historically known for its more affordable prices: Fresku.
How much does it cost to live in Fresk? Here are the crazy figures:
In a simple observation of the listings made in one day for this area alone, prices reach absurd levels that do not correspond to any logical standard of living:
Apartment 2+1: €730
Apartment 2+1+2: €600
Apartment 2+1: €500
Apartment 1+1: €500
Apartment 1+1: €450
Reality on the ground: These prices are being asked for an area where there are no parking lots, where decent sidewalks are a luxury, where playgrounds for children are completely lacking, and where in some parts residents still face interruptions in drinking water.
The “Chain Effect”: How Neighborhoods Are Being Infected by Greed
When a real estate agent agrees to list an apartment at a price completely divorced from the reality of the area and without any guaranteed utilities, he ceases to be a middleman. He becomes part of the problem.
This behavior is creating a dangerous chain effect:
A landlord (pushed by the agency) lists an apartment at an inflated price.
The neighbor next door or on the next block copies this price.
Within a few weeks, the entire neighborhood undergoes an artificial growth that has nothing to do with the conditions it offers.
Professionalism or thirst for profit at all costs?
Professionalism in the field of real estate is not measured by how high you can raise the price to increase the next commission percentage. It is measured by honesty towards the client and respect for the market.
If this perverse logic continues, the victims will not only be the tenants who are being evicted from their city. The entire real estate market will be the loser, because artificially inflated bubbles do not bring long-term development, but only speculation.
Rents in Tirana urgently need to reflect the reality of infrastructure and the true quality of housing, and not the insatiable thirst for quick profit. The question that arises today is: How long will this absurd race continue before the market collapses completely? /JOQ/