PORTLAND, Maine — The number of single-family Maine homes that changed hands in October rose more than 26 percent from the same month in 2013.
An industry leader attributed the spike to a rush to close sales before winter. Angelia Levesque, president of the Maine Association of Realtors, said the latest monthly numbers reflect what she’s heard from Realtors across the state. She also expects total sales volume to outpace last year.
Maine sales volume in October far outpaced transaction activity in the Northeast and the national average, which showed increases in sales volume of 4.4 percent and 2.9 percent respectively for the month.
Tempering the sales boom, the median price of Maine homes has bucked trends at the national and regional level in recent months, as median sales prices in Maine have changed little in year-over-year comparisons.
The median sales price for October — the number splitting where half of the homes sold for more and half for less — fell to $175,000 in Maine, down from $176,250 one year ago.
In the Northeast, the median sales price rose 1.2 percent to $246,900, and the national median sales price rose 5.6 percent to $208,700.
Median sales prices for homes dropped in all but six Maine counties during the past three months. The largest increase occurred in Piscataquis County, where the median price rose to $92,000 from $65,000 for the same three months one year ago. Prices in Somerset, Penobscot, Hancock, Franklin and Aroostook counties also rose or remained near flat for that period.