Southern California Home Sales Rise

November homes sales in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties rose 5.3% from the same month last year to 16,837 properties as the median sales price remained flat at $160,000, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a La Jolla-based real estate research firm. Sales of all homes--including condominiums--during the first 11 months of the year have totaled 197,438, a 15.7% increase and the strongest showing for the period since 1990. In Los Angeles County, home sales rose 7.4% and the median sales price remained stable at $162,000. Orange County saw November sales rise 5.6%, but the median price fell 2.6% to $190,000. Sales rose 7.6% in Riverside and prices climbed 3.2% to $129,000. San Bernardino sales grew 3% and prices increased 0.8% to $121,000. San Diego sales moved up 3.6% and the median price rose 4.2% to $173,000. Ventura County posted a 4.9% decline in sales and a 3.6% drop in prices to $186,000.