From 1998 to 2007, the construction equipment market in Spain enjoyed a golden age for sales of new machines, as well as the rejuvenation and expansion of the active population of machines and the introduction of types that had been previously slow to find acceptance in the country. Sales were more than twice as great as the average of the preceding 10 years. The economy flourished, and for historical reasons there was far from enough plant available to do the work. The housing market inflated hugely, as buyers moved to acquire houses on new suburban developments rather than staying in apartment blocks. Public works, focusing on railways and roads in particular, were a national priority and those who needed construction equipment could finance it with interest rates lower than seen for many years.