Mass. home sales up for first time since June

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By Sam Bonacci

Sales of single-family homes in Massachusetts increased slightly in October, marking the first year-over-year jump since June, according to The Warren Group.

The Boston-based organization reported Tuesday that 4,404 single-family homes were sold across the state in October, a 1.4-percent increase over October 2013, when there were 4,345 sales. Meanwhile, the median sale price in October also increased, by 2.1 percent to $320,000, with the median selling price for the year up 2.3 percent to $332,525. However, since January, the number of sales for the year are down 2.7 percent, according to the group.

"It is encouraging to see home sales inch their way up in October, after declines in seven of the previous ten months. These numbers reflect sales from late summer house hunting," Timothy Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group, said in a statement.

Sales in Worcester and Middlesex counties saw smaller gains in single-family home sales, with increases of .5 percent and 1.73 percent respectively. Median sale prices were up 3.5 percent in Worcester County, to $236,000, and 2.1 percent in Middlesex County to $429,000.

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) reported a more modest increase of 0.4 percent in single-family home sales and an increase in the median sale price of 1.6 percent compared to October of last year.

Both organizations reported increases in condominium sales, with MAR reporting a 4 percent jump in sales, and a 1.4-percent rise in the median price compared to October 2013. This marked the first monthly increase after six straight months of sales decreases, according to MAR.

The Warren Group reported a 3.9-percent increase in October condominium sales, while the median price fell 3.3 percent to $290,000. The year-to-date median condo selling price was up nearly 5 percent, according to the organization.

Worcester County saw larger gains in condo sales, according to Warren Group’s data, with a 13 percent increase while the median sale price rose 5.5 percent to $189,900. In Middlesex County, sales fell 2.75 percent while the median price rose just 1.6 percent, to $340,000.