Dear Sir,

In reading the story on the uptick in housing sales online, I was just a little puzzled because the numbers did not quite add up.

Let’s review what Susan Thompson, of Coldwell Banker Bermuda Ltd, was quoted as saying.

“Agency manager Susan Thompson said sales by the firm rose 60 per cent last year compared to 2014, with 37 per cent of the transactions being cash purchases, compared to just 2 per cent in 2010.”

She added the anticipated Island-wide total of 300 properties sold in 2015 was up from the 209 logged in 2012 — the worst year on record — although way below the 714 recorded in 2008.

So if what was quoted was correct then sales for the years quoted were as follows:

2015: 300

2014: 188

2012: 209

2008: 714

So you can clearly appreciate my puzzlement.

If sales increased by 60 per cent in 2015, how did 2012 become the worst year on record?

Was the 60 per cent increase referring to dollar sales?

Perhaps a chart showing the number of houses sold and the total dollar value for the years in question may be helpful to the reader.

CORDELL W. RILEY