October Home Sales Up On Prices, Tax Credits

Single-family home sales increased by 17.2 percent in the Bay State last month, posting the greatest number of October sales since 2005, according to Boston-based real estate tracker The Warren Group.

It was also the fourth consecutive month of sales increases, as median prices for both single-family homes and condos continued to slide.

The median price for a single-family home fell 2.8 percent to $277,000 while the median price for condos dropped 8.1 percent to $240,000.

Prices combined with the $8,000 federal first time homebuyer tax credit pushed sales up during the month.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors, which includes only transactions that involve a real estate agent in its statistics, said single-family home sales were up 17.7 percent while the median price decreased 2.6 percent to $287,000.