A late-year spike in Central Ohio home sales continued into 2010, with the Columbus Board of Realtors reporting a nearly 7 percent gain in activity last month.
The board in its monthly report on sales of single-family homes and condominiums said 1,025 units were sold in January, up 6.9 percent from 959 in January 2009. The average sale price of a home grew 6 percent to $145,993 from $137,446.
Home sales in contract, an indication of future activity, fell 9 percent last month to 926 from 1,016 last year. At the same time, the backlog of homes on the market held nearly flat at 13,530 units, down 20 homes from a year ago.
The board said January marks the fifth consecutive month of sales gains in Central Ohio, fueled by the federal first-time homebuyer tax credit that received an extension late last year. Board President Sue Lusk-Gleich said in a release that activity is outperforming expectations and gains are expected in the coming months.
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“While there are still some reasons to be cautious, it seems there are just as many reasons to be optimistic,” she said.
Central Ohio home sales fell 4 percent in 2009 to 20,235 units. The board’s statistics include market information from most of the traditional seven-county Columbus region plus parts of nine nearby counties.
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