“I don’t expect prices to decrease in the future, because demand remains strong. After such an increase, I think that prices will undoubtedly flatten out, keeping a growth rate similar to the one we had before the crisis”, Scheuren told Paperjam.

Yet given that property prices were rising by about 5%-7% in the mid-2010s, that is scant reassurance for first-time buyers.

Scheuren pointed to a slight rise in interest rates, changes to property investment tax rules and an increase in deposits required for buy-to-let properties as helping to dampen demand.

However, he did question Statec’s price rise figures, suggesting they focused too much on prices in towns rather than better value properties in the countryside.

“We have seen real estate prices rise throughout Europe due to the crisis. But I have not seen anything from the political side to solve the problem of housing affordability, which now affects not only the most fragile population, but also the middle class,” he added.