Median home price in California rises 10.3% in January from a year earlier

The median price paid for a California home increased 10.3% in January from a year earlier though that key indicator stumbled slightly from December, data released Thursday show. Sales dropped over both periods.

The statewide median price -- the price at which half sold for more and half sold for less -- was $247,000, down 6.4% from December, according to San Diego research firm MDA DataQuick. The median price typically drops from December to January, the firm said. Statewide, 27,858 homes were sold, down 33.4% from the prior month and off 5.4% from January 2009.

The San Francisco Bay Area housing market saw a sales plunge that was sharper than usual for January, although home prices got a sizable bump from year-earlier levels.

The number of homes sold in the nine-county Bay Area fell 38% in January from the month before and 3.9% from January 2009 to 4,853, DataQuick said. A sales drop is normal from December to January, though the typical decline is about 28%, the firm said.

The median price paid for all Bay Area homes was $350,000 in January, DataQuick said. That’s an unusually steep 7.9% drop from $380,000 in December but up 16.7% from $300,000 in January 2009. DataQuick attributed the median decline to a demand shift back toward foreclosure and less-expensive inland homes.

Southland prices and sales were reported Tuesday by DataQuick.

alejandro.lazo

@latimes.com