In the first quarter of 2017, seasonally adjusted sales of real estate units dedicated to all kinds of use rose by 1.8% compared to the previous quarter. Homes and appurtenances increased by 1.6%, while properties for business purposes registered a more marked increase (+4.5%).
Nationwide real estate unit sales agreements totalled 169,527, increasing by 6.5% over the same period of the previous year. 159,024 (93.8%) transfers of properties concerned homes and appurtenances, 9,534 (5.6%) real estate units for business purposes and 969 (0.6%) estates for special uses and multi-owned properties.
In relation to the type of use, sales of residential properties increased by 6.5%, while sales of properties for business use rose by 5.5% and transfers of units for special uses and multi-owned properties increased by 11.4%.
All geographical areas had positive trends for transfers of properties for homes and appurtenances, and the North-
East (+8.8%) and the North-West (+8.2%) geographical areas registered the most positive result. On the contrary, as far as transfers of units for business use were concerned, the Islands and the North-East were the geographical areas performing better than the national average: the Islands increased by 9.5%, and the North-East area increased by 8.1% compared to the same period of the previous year.