MADRID, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The number of homes sold in Spain rose by 3.5% in November compared to the same month in 2019, data showed on Monday, the first time house sales grew since the pandemic struck in March.
Total property sales - not just residential - rose by 6.2% year-on-year, in the second increase in overall property sales since Spain's first coronavirus lockdown began last March, according to data from the country's College of Registrars, who oversee transfers and certifications of real estate.
Tourism-dependent regions like the Balearic and Canary Islands were among those hardest-hit, losing 10.9% and 5.1% of property sales respectively compared to the previous year.
Lesser-known regions like Asturias, favoured by beaches, natural expanses and relatively encouraging epidemiological data throughout the pandemic, have emerged as real estate winners, gaining 24.5% in total property sales in November. (Reporting by Clara-Laeila Laudette Editing by Ingrid Melander)
