More than a year and a half after the Catalan referendum, the region’s capital is on the way to regaining its place as Spain’s leading property hotspot, according to the latest Q1 2019 report from Lucas Fox estate agents.

Sales by the firm in Barcelona during the first three months of 2019 more than tripled compared to the same period in 2018, with the average price increasing by 9% to €997,675. The total value of sales transactions by Lucas Fox Barcelona also more than tripled and the number of new development sales was more than six times the number of sales in the same period in 2018.

International buyers accounted for almost 75% of all Barcelona sales in the first quarter of 2019, around the same proportion as in Q1 2018. British buyers accounted for 12% and American buyers accounted for 15% of Barcelona sales. Middle Eastern buyers increased, representing 14% of buyers.

In the prime market (over €900,000) national buyers accounted for almost a quarter of all Barcelona buyers, with 15% coming from the UK, 8% from the US and 23% from other European countries.