HANGZHOU became the first city in Zhejiang Province to ease its home purchase restrictions.

From July 29, buyers will not have to show proof of home ownership when buying houses in the city’s Xiaoshan and Yuhang districts, the Hangzhou Housing Security and Management Bureau said. The home-purchase curbs were also lifted for people buying houses measuring more than 140 square meters in downtown areas.

On the first day when the restrictions were lifted, sales of new apartments in Hangzhou downtown, Xiaoshan and Yuhang districts amounted to 765 million yuan (US$124 million).

Wenzhou and Ningbo also followed suit. About 20 cities, mostly second and third-tier cities, have lifted or eased restrictions on home purchasing, which were introduced in 2010 as a tool to cool the property market.

China’s housing market was slack in the first half of this year due to tightened credit at banks and a cautious mood among buyers and developers.