LOCAL : OC Median House Costs $237,114

The median price of a house in Orange County rose 2.8% in December to $237,114, the California Assn. of Realtors said today.

That was a 32% jump from a year ago, when the price was $179,651, the trade association said in its monthly survey. The survey excludes new houses.

The number of houses sold in the county dropped 12.8% from November. The market has been cooling to a more normal pace since a frenetic boom in sales last summer.

Statewide, however, sales jumped 6.1% and the median price dropped 2.9% in December.

The median price of a house fell from $177,485 in November to $172,405 in December, the first month-to-month decline since November, 1987, but still 18.7% higher than the December, 1987, median price of $145,224.

The trade association said the statewide increase in sales was probably caused in part by the selling of houses by investors for tax purposes before the end of the year.