Florida Home and Condo Sales Up Again; Prices Keep Falling

Apparently, buyers are getting the word.

Sales of existing homes in Florida rose 15 percent in June, the 22nd consecutive monthly year-to-year increase, the Florida Realtors Association said.

A total of 18,038 single-family homes sold statewide last month compared to 15,732 in June 2009.

But prices continued to slump. The median price of $143,400 was 3 percent lower than a year ago. But, encouragingly, the June price was 2.1 percent higher than the previous month's figure.

Condominium sales followed a more extreme pattern.

In year-to-year comparisons, 6,916 units sold statewide last month vs. 5,215 units in June 2009 -- a 33 percent increase. Median prices last month were $95,000 vs. $112,800 a year ago, a 16 percent decrease.

With prices climbing elsewhere in the nation, Realtors suggest that Florida is a growing bargain.

The U.S. median sales price for existing single-family homes in May was $179,400, up 2.7 percent from a year earlier. In California, the median resale price was $324,430; Massachusetts, $299,000; Maryland, $249,177; New York, $194,900.

The national median existing condo price was $181,300 in May, according to the National Association of Realtors.