BEIJING, Oct. 9 -- The Chinese property market is showing signs of stabilizing as home sales bottom out after months of falling, thanks to a broader-than-expected relaxation of mortgage rules.

There are signs the market sentiment is also improving. An increasing number of potential home buyers have visited sales offices of new housing projects or real estate agencies since Sept. 30, when the Chinese central bank announced the mortgage rule easing.

Bian Ting, an agent at a northern Beijing outlet of China's largest chain real estate broker Homelink, says she clearly felt the fallout of the policy change during the recently concluded week-long National Day holiday.

"Many people came to us during the holiday. Some even dropped travel plans and asked us to show them apartments," she said.

Some of them were encouraged by the mortgage rule easing and planned to buy a second home. More than 20 potential home buyers had also handed in a purchase intention payment to her, Bian said.

In the seven days, her outlet brokered over 20 transactions, which was equivalent to the total sales in the previous two months. The property market sentiment is changing, she observed.

The mortgage rule easing has expanded the pool of eligible home buyers applying for mortgage loans and increased the amount they can borrow by categorizing second home buyers who have fully repaid existing loans as first-time home buyers.