First-tier cities expected to lift property restrictions

In terms of full-year results, a breakdown of sales figures also underscores the increasing polarization between large and small players, leading to quicker consolidation. CASS forecasts that half of the developers will "vanish".

China has an estimated 50,000 developers although only 80 account for close to 40 percent of market share.

The largest companies tend to grow faster. Seven developers with over 100 billion yuan in sales, including Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties and Evergrande Real Estate, on average sold 24 percent more in 2014, while those with 30-100 billion sales grew at 14.6 percent, according to housing researcher China Index Academy.

Unlisted state-backed Greenland Group said its 2014 contracted sales jumped 50 percent from a year earlier to 240.8 billion yuan, topping China Vanke for the first time.