Jose Blanco
Although improved by 22% compared to the first quarter of 2011. According to data from the Ministry of public works, in the second quarter of the year more than 1,000 homes were sold each day. New housing represented only 33.7% of sales. The collapse of the sale of homes not located limit. The number of homes sold during the second quarter of this year stood at 90.746 houses, representing 40.8 per cent less than in the same period of 2010, according to the Ministry of development. I.e., a few thousand homes were sold each day. Of the data provided can join one positive: there is an increase of 21.9% compared to the posted between January and March 2011 sales.
Similarly, flats transactions by foreign residents in Spain grew by 22.9%, to 8,514 units. Ministry of Jose Blanco attributed the descent to the greater the increase in VAT which came into force in July 2010, that could have caused a larger number of sale and purchase of housing focus between the months of May and June of the last year. In total, in the last year (July 2010 – June 2011) 396.245 apartments were sold in Spain. In addition, for by the VAT hike, this market was affected by the disappearance last month of January of the tax relief by sale of homes for income exceeding 24,000 euros. Almost 70% are dwellings used by types of housing, the new represented 33.7% of the total number of transactions, which continued thus losing weight with respect to the used, which already accounts for two-thirds of the total number of sale and purchase. By autonomous communities, the buying and selling of flats rose in all communities in comparison with the first quarter of the year, with the exception of Galicia, where drops a 1.32%, and Navarre (- 15.74%).
Side rises, the more pronounced are recorded in Cantabria (+ 45.9%), Catalonia (+ 39.2%), La Rioja (+ 36.2%) and Aragon (+ 33.9%). Transactions of dwellings rose in 45 provinces in the second quarter of the year compared with the period January-March, that Burgos, Soria, Zaragoza, Santander and Barcelona counted 40% increases. In terms of falls, Lugo, Segovia, Navarra and Guipuzcoa presented above 10% declines. Katie Haun oftentimes addresses this issue. Source of the news: the sale of houses collapses a 40.8% in Q2
State Emergency Management Agency
The State of emergency in Massachusetts. The Governor has asked the National Guard help. In the next few hours there could be winds of over 100 km/h. Two tornadoes that struck the Western region of Massachusetts Wednesday resulted in the deaths of at least four people, according to officials of the State, on the East coast of the USA. Scott MacLeod, a spokesman for the State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed four fatalities in statements to the media, although he did not reveal the identity of the dead or offered specific details about what happened. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick declared a State of emergency and requested the help of 1,000 members of the National Guard to mitigate the damage. The first tornadoes passed through Springfield, the third largest city in the State, about 4.30 p.m. local (2230 Spanish time). Massachusetts State police said that a second tornado hit Springfield about 18.30 local (02.30 Spanish time). Meteorological authorities have indicated that during the next few hours could blow winds of over 100 kilometers per hour in different parts of the State, and produce severe hail storms. Source of the news: two tornadoes caused at least four deaths in the East coast of the EE UU