A recent experiment showed that people with an average Minsk salary would find it difficult to obtain a loan for a standard one-room apartment or even a small studio from a developer. However, raising money for the concrete walls is only half the battle. The apartment still needs to be brought to a livable condition, i.e., renovated. Preferential and grace periods are meant to slightly ease this process, but they do not solve the main problem — money for renovation must be saved and set aside. What if such an opportunity is not available? Then it is better to look toward the secondary market, ready for immediate move‑in. What financing conditions do Belarusian banks offer for secondary housing?

Why is affordable housing on the secondary market?

Just like with new builds, prices for the cheapest apartments from owners in Minsk start at 250–300 thousand rubles. We open the database of listed properties and take a look.

For example, in Stepanikha a cute one‑room apartment is offered in a newly built panel block, in the house on Karvata. “The apartment is fully ready for occupancy: a tidy renovation has been completed, and the convenient layout allows for efficient use of every square meter,” writes the realtor. The price for 45 square meters is 300,000 rubles. Let’s take it!

Now let’s turn our attention to the old residential stock. In a 1964‑built house on Beryuta, a renovated one‑room apartment of 32.2 “square” is being sold. Someone has carefully turned the old walls into modern, designer ones. This is exactly what a person who wants to move in immediately needs. The apartment costs 292,000 rubles.

Here's the translation of Fragment 2/6 of the article:

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So, here's the story: we need 300,000 rubles to buy second-hand property. Suppose someone managed to save 50,000 minchanyins either by setting aside money or taking it from their parents. What kind of terms would banks offer for a 250,000 ruble loan with a 20-year repayment period?

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"Belinvestbank"

Last week, Belinvestbank eased the conditions for financing second-hand real estate and announced the introduction of a grace period. How does this look in approximate calculations?

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For two years, the rate stands at 10.9% per annum, after which it rises depending on the type of housing. When building an apartment, the rate goes up to 14.41%, whereas when buying second-hand, it reaches 14.9%. We're interested in the second option. Payments can be either differentiated or equal (equal installments).

— What should be considered based on your circumstances? For 250,000 rubles, you will need a guarantor. Plus, the collateral of the purchased property. And your income should amount to about 5,500 rubles, explains the consultant.

• And what should I do? Should I first find a suitable option and then contact the bank, or vice versa?

— Look, you first need to find a guarantor, or two guarantors for your amount. There is also the possibility of involving three. We gather documents, income certificates of your guarantors for three full months. Then you come with your passport, submit the application. It is reviewed within one to fifteen days.

Once the bank approves your loan, you have 30 days to receive it. A registered sales contract is already required. The seller opens an account at our bank so that we can transfer the loan funds. Thus, the transaction takes place.

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• Is it possible to pay off early?

— Yes, it is possible. But everything depends on how you plan to repay. Let's take differentiated payments as an example. Suppose you overpaid by 1,000 rubles. In the next month, the principal debt will be shown as 1,000 rubles less. Interest will be calculated according to the schedule, but recalculated based on the remaining balance. That is, the payments will become smaller.

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With annuity payments, the principal portion increases from smaller to larger amounts. That is, at first you pay less of the principal, and toward the end of the schedule you pay more. How does early repayment work here? If you overpay, the amount you overpaid also goes toward the principal, but from the end of the schedule. In other words, you shorten the loan term.

To sum up. After 20 years, the 250,000 rubles issued by Belinvestbank will turn into 604,314.

Belagroprombank

Visiting this bank has turned into a real quest. The reason is that the mortgage office of Belagroprombank accepts clients only by appointment. You can show up unexpectedly and take a ticket, but priority is given to those who have booked in advance. During the first visit, the wait lasted more than 30 minutes and we lost our nerves. The second time the wait stretched to an hour — and again no result. It was only on the third attempt that we managed to see a specialist. The flow of people who either want to take a loan or get a consultation does not stop for a minute.

Briefly about the conditions of Belagroprombank: the rate for the first two years is 11.5%, then 15%. Payments are differentiated, allowing early repayment at any time.

— We lend up to 90% of the property's value, — the consultant explains. — Also, for the first six months, there is a deferral of the principal repayment. To be clear, for 250,000 rubles the collateral is a real estate property and at least two guarantors. Since this involves combined security, any person aged 18 or older whose income is at least the subsistence minimum can act as a guarantor.

• What salary is required to obtain 250,000?
• Your net income must be 5,250 rubles.
• What is the action plan?

First, you submit an application for a loan, wait for approval in an SMS message. Then you will have 25 calendar days to conclude a sales contract. The seller will definitely need to open an account at our bank.

Is there anything else needed besides the contract? Insurance, property appraisal...

No. We conduct the appraisal ourselves, calculating the market value of the apartment. It must be no less than the loan amount.

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What happens? The issued "Belagroprombank" 250,000 rubles at the end of the term reaches 619,273.

"Priorbank"

During working hours in the "Priorbank" branch near Nemig, people can now receive consultation comfortably (we know that everyone sits in the neighboring "Belagroprombank").

This bank lured customers with its reduced credit rate – 13.5%. True, it applies only for the first 18 months, after which it jumps up to 15.5% per annum. But there is one "but": borrowers must repay at least 20% of the housing cost from their own funds. The payments are annuity, divided into equal parts.

And the salary of the future newcomer should be substantial – 5,500–6,000 rubles. If it's insufficient, standard practice requires bringing someone's income together and finding guarantors.

"We lend a maximum of 80% of the value of the acquired property," explains the consultant. "20% of 300,000 rubles is 60,000. So you must pay at least 60,000 rubles yourself."

"I understand, okay."

"Let's calculate. To obtain 240,000 rubles, your average monthly income over the past six months should be 5,500–6,000 rubles."

Our monthly payments are annuity payments, meaning they are equal. In your case, this amounts to 3164 rubles. It is possible to repay the loan ahead of schedule without any penalties, commissions, or restrictions. The application is reviewed within three working days. After this, you will have a month, or 30 calendar days, to provide the sales contract and property valuation.

What kind of valuation?

It is necessary to conduct a valuation of the acquired property at a relevant organization. After that, we verify and agree on the conclusion of the credit agreement. On the day the agreement is concluded, the bank transfers the funds to the seller's account. Then you bring in the title documents and, necessarily, an insurance policy.

Let's do the math. After 20 years, 250,000 rubles from Priorbank will turn into 519,427.

Conclusions

At one of the banks, we asked a specialist: what is more beneficial - taking out a loan to buy a new building or a secondary property? There was no answer, because each person decides for themselves which method of improving their living conditions is better. It is obvious that interest rates on loans for building apartments from a developer are lower than on loans for housing from an owner. On the other hand, in the second option, the need to invest in repairs is a minus.

One thing remains unchanged - the possibility of taking out a loan for a small apartment in Minsk today does not correlate with the salary of Minsk residents. Recall that the average salary in the capital for the first half of 2026 was 3878 rubles. Alone, it is definitely impossible to win in this game.

Bank

Term

Loan amount, rubles

Conditions

Largest monthly payment, rubles

Total payment amount, rubles

Belinvestbank

20 years

250,000

First two years interest rate 10.9%, then 14.9%

3879 from the third year (differentiated payments, decreasing)

604,314

Belagroprombank

20 years

250,000

First two years interest rate 11.5%, then 15%

4069 from the second year (differentiated payments, decreasing)

619,273

Priorbank

20 years

250,000

First 18 months interest rate 13.5%, then 15.5%

3164 from the first month (annuity payments, equal)

519,427

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