The Seoul office sales market, which has remained stable over the past two years, is expected to shift into an upward trend this year, driven by interest rate cuts and a strong rental market.

According to the 2024 Q4 Seoul Office Sales Indicators released on the 4th by RSQUARE Analytics (RA), a commercial real estate data specialist under RSQUARE, the Seoul Office Sales Index (ROSI) recorded 485.5 points. This represents a 0.8% decline from the previous quarter (489.5 points) and a 1.4% decrease compared to Q4 2023 (492.4 points). Despite these slight declines, overall office prices have remained largely stagnant over the past two years.

The total transaction volume for 2024 increased significantly compared to the previous year. Seoul's office transaction volume in 2024 reached 12.538 trillion won (based on contracts signed within the year), representing a 44.9% increase from 8.6515 trillion won in 2023.

The cap.rate, which represents the yield on buildings, also increased. The effective cap rate for Seoul offices was 4.5% in Q4 2024, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter. Core business districts (CBD, GBD, and YBD) recorded rates around 4.3%. The recent rise in cap rates is attributed more to an increase in Net Operating Income (NOI), driven by a favorable rental market, rather than declining office prices.