Registrars: House Sales Soared By 23.7% In Q2

30 August 2016 – Expansión

Between April and June, 107,838 homes were sold, specifically 88,291 second-hand homes and 19,547 new homes. The figure represents the highest number of transactions recorded in a single quarter in the last three years.

(…). According to data published yesterday by the College of Registrars, house prices rose by 7.48% in Q2 compared with the same period last year. Compared with the figures recorded during the first quarter, the rise between April and June amounted to 2.19%. Despite these significant increases, prices have still not returned to their pre-crisis levels. And although the cost of housing is now similar to the level last seen in 2004, the cumulative decrease still amounts to 26% with respect to 2007, when prices reached their highest level before the burst of the real estate bubble.

The data from the College of Registrars also shows that the figures for the second quarter “comfortably” exceeded the 100,000 transaction threshold, after more than three years below that figure. Specifically, 107,838 transactions were signed during the second quarter (representing an increase of 23.7%), of which 88,291 corresponded to second-hand homes and 19,547 to new homes. Nevertheless, sales of new homes recorded their second consecutive positive inter-quarter variation (0.84%), after a long period of steady decline. It is the highest level seen in the last five quarters, proof that this type of housing is now showing its first signs of recovery.

Second-hand homes

In addition, sales of second-hand homes continued their strong upwards trend, already seen in recent quarters. The 88,291 sales recorded represented a QoQ increase of 10.31%, resulting in the highest number of second-hand sales in almost nine years, according to the College of Registrars. We have to go back to Q3 2007 to find such a high level of quarterly second-hand home sales.

Most autonomous regions recorded a QoQ increase in the number of house sales (specificially fifteen), with double-digit increases in six of those. The highest number of transactions were recorded in Andalucía (20,846 homes), Cataluña (17,300), the Comunidad Valenciana (15,734) and Madrid (15,540). In relative terms, the highest increases were recorded in the autonomous regions of the Balearic Islands (31.4%), País Vasco (24.07%) and Murcia (22.2%).

Furthermore, demand for housing from foreigners maintained its traditional strength during the second quarter, to account for 13.38% of all house purchases, up from the figure of 12.93% recorded during the first quarter. The historical maximum was recorded in Q4 2015 (14.38%). British citizens continue to buy the most residential properties in Spain; they accounted for 19.73% of all purchases made by foreigners. They were followed by German (7.3%), French (7.05%), Swedish (6.9%) and Italian buyers (5.9%). (…).

Meanwhile, 11,470 mortgage foreclosure proceedings were initiated during Q2 and there were 2,432 “daciones en pago”, down by 30.8% compared with a year earlier.

Mortgage debt grew by 1.6% during the second quarter, to reach an average of €110,981.

Original story: Expansión (by Calixto Rivero)

Translation: Carmel Drake