by KG/XINHUA More and more Belgians are buying a second home in Spain, the Belgian press reported Tuesday. In the first quarter 2014, 1,057 Spanish properties have already been sold to the Belgians, an increase of 27 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the newspaper L'Avenir. In 2013, 2,501 Belgians have acquired a second home in Spain, the newspaper said, this represents 3,804 houses, villas and apartments. The bursting of the housing bubble caused a "continuous" drop of house prices in Spain, being 37 percent below the 2008 peak, which attracted many Belgian owners, the newspaper explained. Desertification in certain more rural areas also causes a fall in prices in the country. In addition, the Belgians seek to avoid increasing taxes on second homes in their country. The Belgian owners are also interested in a second home in France, Turkey, Greece and even in Austria, it added.