here. / " title="NOVEMBER home sales in Massachusetts continued to decline in November, according the the state's association of Realtors. For a larger graph click here. /"/>BOSTON – Home sales in Massachusetts, including Bristol County, fell in November compared with the same month last year.
Real estate tracking firm The Warren Group said single-family home sales in November fell to 2,903, a 29.8 percent drop from a year ago and the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year decline. The median sales price, however, rose 7.3 percent to $294,000.
In Bristol County, sales decreased 33 percent to 217 and the price dropped 5 percent to $228,000, The Warren Group said.
The Warren Group released its numbers the same day the Massachusetts Association of Realtors said sales statewide fell to 2,614 in November, a 31.5 percent drop compared with the same month last year.
The median price, meanwhile, increased 5.2 percent to $299,900.
(The association uses a different methodology to calculate home sales and prices than The Warren Group, counting only transactions that member Realtors are involved with.)
The Realtors blamed the slow sale numbers on a poor economy and continued weak job market. The Warren Group noted that sales last November received a boost from buyers looking to take advantage of a federal tax credit initially set to expire Nov. 30, 2009.
“As predicted, we are winding down the year on a sour note,” said The Warren Group CEO Timothy M. Warren Jr. “In November 2009, home sales were stimulated by the deadline to receive the first-time homebuyer tax credit, making comparisons to this year unfavorable. However, sales last month were higher than November 2008, when only 2,611 single-family homes were sold.”
