House prices in the Netherlands have continued to recover, with average sale prices rising 2.5% in August, compared with the year earlier period, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday.

House prices are now back at their December 2003 level and have been rising since June 2013, the CBS said.

Nevertheless, house prices are still down 17% on their August 2003 peak.

According to land registry figures, the number of houses changing hands in August was up 29% on a year ago. Over the first eight months of this year, nearly 110,000 homes have been sold, a rise of 23% on 2014.