Maine home sales spiked more than 6 percent in September, but median prices barely moved – two trends that diverge from what’s happening nationally.

A report Thursday from the Maine Realtors Association shows the volume of single-family home sales up 6.1 percent over September 2015 sales, while national home sales rose only 0.6 percent. But median prices here nudged up only 1.4 percent to $188,083, compared with a 5.6 percent increase nationally to $235,700.

In September, sales in the Northeast jumped 5.7 percent, and the median price rose 2.1 percent to $261,600. A median sales price indicates half the homes were sold for more and half were sold for less.

Ed Gardner, president of the Maine Association of Realtors and owner of Ocean Gate Realty, said the September data show stability in most markets across Maine.

Southern Maine markets saw the greatest year-over-year increase in sales prices from July through September. Cumberland County had the highest median sales price of $275,000, followed by York County at $247,000 and Lincoln County at $225,000.

Some rural counties saw decreases in their sales price. Aroostook County had a 17.75 percent drop in its median sales price over the same three-month quarter in 2015 to $82,250. Franklin County saw its median price drop by nearly 6 percent to $128,000.

Washington County, however, saw a 25 percent increase in its median sales price, rising from $80,000 to $100,000 over the quarter.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.