Area home sales down 22% in January...a great time to buy!

From Business First.

The entire article is here: http://tinyurl.com/c5z46f

clipped from columbus.bizjournals.com Coming off another dismal month for Central Ohio home sales, the Columbus Board of Realtors is setting its sights on the spring for better news. The board on Wednesday said 959 existing single-family homes and condominiums were sold in Central Ohio in January, down 22 percent from 1,225 a year ago. Homes in contract, an indication of future sales, fell 29 percent to 1,16 from 1,438 in January 2008. The average sale price of a home in the region fell about $15,000, or 10 percent, to $137,446 from $152,790 a year ago. Board President Gary Parsons said the results reflect an expected decline in holiday home sales. Looking ahead, the board is hoping a recently passed $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and lower interest rates will spur more activity. “As we get closer to spring, I think consumer confidence, like the weather, will start to improve,” Parsons said in a release.