August data: fewer home sales in the Balearics, and notaries report lower prices

What happened

On 26 October 2026 the INE published its statistics on property transfers for August 2026. Across Spain, 49,319 home sales were registered, 3.4% more than in August 2025. The Balearic Islands went the other way, with a fall of 3.8%. The INE’s regional table puts the Balearic total at 1,006 sales, of which 176 were new homes and 830 resales.

On 29 October 2026 the regional press reported the General Council of Notaries’ figures for August. In the Balearics, home sales signed before a notary fell 17.8% on a year earlier, mortgage loans for home purchases fell 13.1%, and the average price fell 4.9%, the second-largest price fall of any region after Navarra. In Spain as a whole, notaries recorded 34,599 sales, down 9.8%, with the average price up 12.8% to €1,959 per square metre.

Why the two sources differ

• The notaries count deeds signed in the month. The INE counts sales entered in the land registry, which usually happens weeks later, so its August figure partly reflects earlier deals. The INE figures count sales, not prices.
• One month is a small sample in a market the size of the Balearics. A few large sales, or their absence, can move the average price a lot.
• The notaries’ price is an average across the homes that sold that month. It is not a measure of what any given home is worth.

What it means for buyers

Fewer sales and a lower average price in one month do not make a trend, and the notaries’ figures for May 2026 showed the Balearic average price up 16.3% on a year earlier. The figures do suggest a slower market after the summer, which can mean more room to negotiate on some homes. Your lawyer and a valuation will tell you more about a specific property than any island average: see the buying process and surveys and checks. If you need a loan, mortgages for non-residents explains what Spanish banks ask for.