Buying & Selling in 2010

There's an old saying "statistics don't lie." Of course, there's another saying which says, "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics." Nevertheless, I would like to use statistics to prove that real estate sales in Northeast Florida are up in 2010 if the property is priced right.

In Northeast Florida there were 1,613 closed sales in June 2010, a 17.7% increase over the 1,370 closed sales in June 2009. The median sales price was $143,090, down 10.6% from last June's median of $160,000. 705 of those sales were either foreclosures or short sales, a 47.8% increase over last years figure of 477.

In Ortega, Avondale, and Riverside, there were 29 closed sales in June, a 20.8% increase over last year. The median sales price of $170,625 is down 24.6% from last year's median sales price of $226,250.

So, good news for buyers. A hard reality check for some sellers. The only thing is, I do try to point out that most sellers are buying at the same time — and with interest rates at all-time lows, they can still come out well even in current market conditions.