More housing data confirms trend

The volume of monthly single-family home sales rose 12.6 percent in January, the first year-to-year increase since last March, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors said today.

The group's report is the second report on local housing sales issued today.

In January, the number of detached single family homes sold rose to 2,744, up from 2,437 in January 2006, the association said.

The median sales price for a single family home in January was $340,000, down 2.4 percent from $348,500 in January 2006, the association said.

Results issued earlier today by the Warren Group, a provider of New England real estate data, showed similar trends in January, though the two organizations use different methods in compiling their numbers.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors said statewide condominium sales in January rose 5.3 percent with 1,271 condos sold, versus 1,207 condos sold in January 2006; the median selling price for a Massachusetts condo in January was $268,000, down 0.7 percent from $270,000 in January 2006.

"We are encouraged about the way January has started off," association president Doug Azarian said in a statement. "As sellers continue to price their homes correctly, we should begin to see demand pick up, inventories go down, and the market becoming more balanced."

The association's report was the third piece of Massachusetts housing news released this morning; besides numbers from the Warren Group, ForeclosuresMass.com, a Framingham firm, reported that in January, there were more foreclosure filings in the state than in any other month in two decades.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)