January real estate sales up

Real estate sales sped up substantially across Florida in January 2011 compared to the same month a year ago, as sales of existing homes and condos increased 14% and 36% by volume over the year.

But prices fell. The median sale price for an existing single-family home dropped 7% over the year, down to $122,200, while the median price for condos fell 18% to $79,400, according to Florida Realtors.

In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, 1,911 existing homes were sold in January, a 19% over-the-year increase. The median price for those sales was $110,000, down 16%.