September home sales slow

Florida saw an 8% drop in existing single-family home sales in September compared to a year ago, despite the median sale price of those homes falling 6%. And two of the three major metro areas on the Gulf Coast saw even greater slowdowns, according to the latest data released by Florida Realtors.

In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market, 2,313 homes were sold in September, compared to 2,747 in the same month a year ago — a 16% decrease. And in Fort Myers-Cape Coral, 1,102 homes sold, compared to 1,321 last year, a 17% drop.

The Sarasota-Bradenton market saw a 3% decline in sales, with 760 homes sold compared to 781 sold in September 2009.