Charles Ellicott Commentary Leviticus 25:29

"And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption." — Leviticus 25:29 (ASV)

A dwelling house in a walled city. — It is, however, quite different in the case of houses in walled cities. These are not the creation of God , allotted by His command to the different tribes of Israel; they are the work of man, who builds them up and razes them to the ground at their own will and as they please. Hence the law of jubilee does not apply to these temporary human buildings.

Though an Israelite could sell his house without being driven by stress of circumstances to do it, still, as he may feel attached to his home, the Divine law affords him some protection for a limited period, during which he or his family may redeem the building. During the second Temple, “a dwelling house in a walled city” was defined to be a house standing within an area of land which was first walled around for the purpose of building human habitations on it, and in which the houses were afterwards erected. But if the houses were built first, and the city wall afterwards, they do not come within the law laid down here.

Within a full year may he redeem it. —If within a year of the sale he wishes to redeem, the Law gives him the power, or in case he dies, empowers his son, to repurchase the property at the same price he received for it. Besides limiting the period to a year, the Law does not prescribe that the next of kin is to redeem, nor does it give him the power to do so. During the second Temple, it was also enacted that the vendor could not redeem it with borrowed money.