Britons buying nearly a fifth of Spanish homes

BRITONS were responsible for almost one in five property purchases in Spain in the first six months of the year, the Spanish Registrars Association has reported.

After falling slightly over the first few months of the year, overseas buyers bounced back between April and June, making up 12.8 per cent of all second-hand property transactions.

In popular areas this was even higher, reaching 33.5 per cent in the Balearic Islands, 27.5 per cent in the Canaries and 25.7 per cent in Valencia.

Murcia, Andalucia and Cataluña presented percentages of between 12 and 15 per cent yet Madrid proved less popular with overseas buyers with just 4.7 per cent registered.

Britons were reported to be responsible for 19.8 per cent of sales, followed by the French at 8.1 per cent, Germans at 7.6 per cent, Belgians at 6.4 per cent, Swedes at 5.5 per cent and Italians at 5.3 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Russian presence continued to fall with just 4 per cent registered as opposed to 9 per cent in 2012 and 2013.