Home Sales Up 41% in March but Prices Down

Despite a shortage of dwellings for sale, the number of homes and condominiums sold by members of a west Ventura County Realtors group soared 41% in March.

Sales of single-family homes increased from 217 in February to 320 in March, and condo sales jumped from 72 to 88, the Ventura County Coastal Assn. of Realtors reported.

The group represents real estate agents in Oxnard, Ventura, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Port Hueneme and Fillmore.

The median price of a detached house dropped slightly from month to month, from $304,500 to $299,000. The median is the price at which half the homes sell for more and half for less. Median condo prices increased to $200,000, from $188,500 the month before. But the median asking price of 498 homes listed in March was $499,000.