Realtors trade group sales Ohio home sales rose 10 percent in Feb. while prices slipped

Trade group: Ohio home sales up 10 pct.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A trade group says last month’s snowy and icy weather throughout Ohio did not hurt the state’s home sales, which rose 10 percent.

The Ohio Association of Realtors said Tuesday that about 5,800 new and existing homes were sold in Ohio last month, up from close to 5,300 that sold during January.

The realtors say the state’s average home sale price slipped to $120,144, from $121,245 in January. But the trade group notes that the February price was up a strong 11.6 percent from a year ago, when the average in Ohio was $107,622.

Association President Douglas McCloud says the state’s realtors are upbeat about the market thanks to interest rates that remain near historic lows and the extension of a tax credit for first-time home buyers through April.