Alicante has remained one of the main drivers of Spain’s property market, ranking third nationally for home sales in the first quarter, behind only Madrid and Barcelona. According to analysis by Francisco Llopis Vañó, Director of Studies at INECA, 12,785 homes were sold in the province between January and March.

Despite that strong volume, transactions have fallen by 7.9% compared with the same period last year, a drop of 1,098 sales. The report describes this as a market correction rather than structural decline, following several years of strong growth.

Alicante now ranks 41st nationally for year-on-year performance, placing it among the weaker-performing provinces in relative terms. Other high-pressure and tourist-driven markets have also recorded declines, including Málaga, Murcia, the Balearic Islands and Madrid.

Among the six provinces with the highest sales volumes, only Barcelona and Valencia recorded modest growth, at 0.2% and 1.6% respectively. The study suggests Alicante’s exposure to international and investor demand, combined with higher prices and tighter credit conditions, may be contributing to the slowdown. The coming months will show whether this is a temporary adjustment or the start of a more sustained cooling period.