SALES of new homes by floor area in Shanghai in the seven days through Sunday rose 32 percent week on week to 241,000 square meters, said a study released yesterday.

The total, which excluded government-subsidized housing, was the first above 200,000 square meters for three weeks, Shanghai Centaline Property Consultants Ltd said.

"On one hand, the abundant supply of new homes over the past few weeks helped fuel buyers' momentum while on the other, the recent land buying frenzy served as a strong stimulus," said Lu Wenxi, a research manager at Shanghai Centaline, adding that he expects demand to remain high until the end of the month.