YEREVAN, November 27. /ARKA/. The number of real estate transactions registered in Armenia in 2018  September and October surged by 27.1% from the year before triggering a rise in the prices for apartments in the center of Yerevan, Sarkhat Petrosyan, the head of the State Real Estate Cadastre Committee, said at a press conference today.

He said prices for housing in downtown Yerevan, when compared to September-October last year, rose by 23%, indicating a positive trend in the market. He said the reasons behind the rise may be different, but the main ones are linked with positive expectations.

"I am sure that this growth trend will continue. It may slow down a bit before the parliamentary elections (scheduled for December 9), but after them, in January, we can expect even greater growth," Petrosyan said.

According to him, the regions of Armenia also play an important role in increasing the number of transactions. He said the number of transactions outside Yerevan in the reporting period grew by 27.6%, up from 26.2% in Yerevan.

According to the State Real Estate Cadastre Committee, the average market price of one square meter of housing in apartment buildings in Yerevan in September, if compared to August, increased by 0.8%. At the same time, compared to the same period last year, the average market value of one square meter of housing increased by 10.6%. -0-