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.

As for condominium sales, the statewide market saw a 10% increase in sales activity last month — as well as an 18% drop in the median sale price of those properties compared to September 2009.

The median sale price for condos in Tampa Bay fell even further on a relative basis over the year, down from $106,000 to $84,900, a 20% decrease. But that drop failed to boost sales, which decreased 7% in that market.

The markets in Fort Myers and Sarasota suffered slowdowns of 4% and 2% respectively.