Months of declining house sales halted in May, when 10,182 properties changed ownership, according to new figures from the land registry office (kadaster).

In total, 2.7% more homes changed hands year on year, while the rise on April was nearly 24%, the figures show.
Almost all types of homes showed an increase in sales, apart from apartments, where sales were down 2.1%. Seven of the 12 Dutch provinces contributed to the increase, with the strongest growth recorded in Zeeland.
Despite the optimism, the number of homes finding a new owner is well below that of a few years ago, the NRC points out. In December 2005, for example, over 24,000 homes changed hands.
‘It is a positive signal,’ a Kadaster spokesman told news agency Novum. ‘Now we have to wait and see. The rise could be a one-off or the start of an upward trend.’
A spokesman for the NVM real estate agents’ organisation told Radio 1 he did not believe the sales boost marked the end of the housing slump. He said the rise may be due to people buying houses quickly, before the temporary reduction in property transfer tax comes to an end.