China home prices fell the most in almost nine years in December, underscoring why officials are extending support to the biggest cities to end the property crisis.

New-home prices in 70 cities, excluding state-subsidized housing, dropped 0.45% last month from November, when they declined 0.37%, National Bureau of Statistics figures showed Wednesday. The decrease was the steepest since February 2015. The second-hand market didn’t fare any better, with prices sliding 0.79%, the same pace as the previous month.