Ohio home sales up 14.6 pct. from March

May 19, 2011, 9:31 am

A trade group says Ohio home sales jumped 14.6 percent last month compared to March, but sales were down from a year ago in both April and during the first four months of the year.

The Ohio Association of Realtors says the 2010 sales numbers were inflated due to the availability of a home buyer tax credit which has since expired.

The association said Thursday that about 9,120 new and existing single-family homes and condos were sold in the state during April. That was down 12.5 percent from the April 2010 number.

In Cincinnati, 1,408 units were sold in April, a 24.7 percent drop from the same time period last year. For the four month period, 4,762 homes were sold, a 9.7 percent drop from the same period in 2010.

Last month’s average sale price was about $124,220, down from roughly $130,160 a year ago.

Ohio’s 27,860 home sales in the first four months of this year represents a decline of 7.5 percent from a year ago.

The realtor association continues to say that it’s a really great time to buy and that “when you look beyond the headlines and take a closer look at current conditions- interest rates at historic lows, prices displaying signs of stabilization, sellers becoming more and more realistic in their expectations- you gain a better appreciation that the desire to home remains the foundation of the American Dream.”

Property Management