The National Statistics Institute reported last week that the sale of homes in Spain rose by 5.3% in April, compared with the same month in 2013, to a total of 24,968 transactions.

This is the second consecutive year-on-year increase following that experienced in March, when housing sales soared by more than 22%, ending ten consecutive months of year-on-year declines.

The year-on-year growth in housing sales is due both to the increase in the sale of second-hand homes, of 5.1%, to a total of 14,306 transactions, as well as the purchase of new homes, which rose by 5.7%, up to 10,662 transactions.

However, in the first four months of the year, home sales accumulated a decline of 10.6%, with declines of 18.5% in transactions on new homes, and of 3% for second hand homes.

In April, the highest number of home sales per 100,000 inhabitants was registered in the Canary Islands (98). Andalusia continued in the lead for home sales in the fourth month of the year, with 4,733 transactions, followed by Catalonia (3,724), Valencia (3,497) and Madrid (3,345).