According to China National Bureau of Statistics (CNBS), statistics show that the prices of newly constructed real estates in 70 large and medium-sized cities were up by 0.2% compared to February, down by 0.6% compared to the same period last year. While the prices of second-hand houses rose by 0.6% compared to last month, 2.1% year-on-year.

Specifically, compared with the previous month, 8 out of the 70 large and medium-sized cities, witness a price drop of newly constructed ones, 62 see an increase. Among the month-on-month price changes, the highest increase was 5.4 percent while the lowest drop was 0.7%. Among the three cities counted in Hubei Province, Wuhan up 1.3% and Xiangyang up 0.1%.

Compared with the previous month, the prices of second-hand homes decreased in 13 cities, those of 54 cities increased and those of the rest 3 cities remained the same. Among the month-on-month price changes, the highest increase was 9.3%, the lowest decrease was 0.7 percent. To be specific, the month-on-month second-hand home price in Wuhan increased 1.1% while that in Xiangyang registered a 0.1% decrease.

In addition, the Price Indices of Newly Constructed Homes in 70 Large and Medium-sized Cities shows that in Yichang, the prices of new homes with floor space of or less than 90 square meters decreased 0.1% compared to last month, those with floor space between 90 and 144 square meters increased 0.4% compared to February while those with floor space over 144 square meters decreased 0.2%.

According to the CNBS, compared with the previous month, the home prices in most cities rose, and the number of such cities increased sharply in March, with the overall gains expanding. Even so, there are big differences among cities. The cities with excessive gains in home prices are clustered in first-tier cities and some hot second-tier cities, and the increases are much higher than those of other cities. Meanwhile, the housing prices of those second-tier and third-tier cities remain relatively steady.  (Reported by Chen Lu)