New home sales in Shanghai in the first half of the year were little changed from a year ago.

The sales of new homes, excluding government-subsidized affordable housing, dipped 1.2 percent annually to 3.85 million square meters between January and June, Soufun.com, a real estate website, said in a latest market research yesterday.

But the sales gained 12 percent from the second half of 2011, Soufun data showed.

"March, May and June saw a strong rebound in transactions of new residential properties in the city, sparked by price discounts offered by real estate developers," said Tang Zhengwei, a Soufun analyst. "The (government's) latest interest rate cut and preferential mortgage rates for first-time buyers also boosted buyers' sentiment."

Pudong New Area as well as Baoshan and Jiading districts reported the most sales.