Sales of existing single-family homes in Maine increased 6.58 percent in September, bucking downward trends in both the region and the nation.

The median sales price was $175,000 last month – up 1.16 percent from one year ago, according to the Maine Association of Realtors. Last month, 1,393 homes were sold, up from 1,307 in September 2013.

Nationwide, sales dipped 1.9 percent while the national median sales price rose 5.9 percent to $210,300, according to the National Association of Realtors. In the Northeast region, sales decreased 1.4 percent. The median sales price of $249,800 was up by 4.8 percent over the same period last year.

“People are feeling a little bit better about the economy,” said Angelia Levesque, president of the Maine Association of Realtors. “The southern part of Maine is seeing some stability, and (potential homebuyers) are saying, ‘Everything is going well, I’m going to have a job, it’s OK to buy a house.'”

During the rolling quarter of July, August and September, 4,402 homes were sold in Maine, up by 3.85 percent over the same period in 2013. The median sales price remained flat at $179,00 during that time.

The biggest jump in sales came from Somerset County, where 154 homes were sold during the rolling quarter, up from 115 in the same time last year. Big jumps were also seen in Waldo and York counties.

September is traditionally a very active time in the home-buying market as families rush to close on new homes before the kids start school, Levesque said. But this year was particularly strong.

That said, Realtors are closely watching developments like the paper mill closures, which caused the elimination of hundreds of jobs, and the ongoing strike at FairPoint Communications.

Situations like those may cause homebuyers who might have been considering moving into a new home to stay where they are, said Levesque, who works with Better Homes and Gardens/The Masiello Group in Bangor.

“There’s definitely uncertainty up here,” she said. “I’m not seeing any impact yet. But everyone is just holding their breath right now to see how that can shake out.”

Brokers in York County, where 775 homes were sold in the last three months – up 12 percent over the same period last year – said they were seeing a bustle of activity in the market. York County saw the highest number of homes sold.

Greg Cloutier, sales manager of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Saco and South Portland, said the healthy activity in the Portland market has had a positive spillover effect on the market in that area.

“September was a fantastic month in southern Maine,” he said.

Jennifer Van Allen can be contacted at 791-6313 or at:

jvanallen@pressherald.com

Copy the Story Link