Single family home prices in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties changed course, climbing up in April after falling year over year in March.

Sales volume was down statewide, but the median resale home price set a record high in California in April, hitting $602,920. (File photo by Marilyn Kalfus/SCNG)

Riverside County had the biggest price gain of five Southern California Counties, at 5.8%, with the median resale of a home up to $423,000 from $400,000 in April 2018. San Bernardino saw a 5.2% hike, with the price at $305,000 compared with $289,900 the prior year.

Orange County had the smallest uptick – 0.9% – but the heftiest price: It rose to $825,000 in April from $818,000 last year. Los Angeles, with a 3% increase, saw prices go to $544,170 from $528,550 last April. San Diego rose 2.2% to $649,000 from $635,000.

The analysis comes from the California Association of Realtors, which reports on the resale of houses around the state. Sales of existing houses account for just over two-thirds of all home sales in Southern California.

In March, CAR’s numbers reflected the first year-over-year price drop for Los Angeles and San Diego counties in seven years and the third in Orange County in the previous four months.

Statewide, demand weakened and sales were down, but the median home price set a record high in April, reaching $602,920 and passing the $602,760 high set in the summer of 2018. April’s price was up 3.2% from $584,460 in April 2018, CAR said.

“While we started off the spring homebuying season on a down note, home sales in the upcoming months may fare better than the top-level numbers suggest,” said Leslie Appleton-Young, CAR’s senior vice president and chief economist. “The year-over-year sales decrease was the smallest in nine months, and pending home sales increased for the second straight month after declining for more than two years.”

She said a sharp sales rebound is not expected, but neither is an acceleration of declines.

Sales volume dipped in Los Angeles (-0.1%), Riverside (-6.5%) and San Bernardino counties (-7.7%), but was up in Orange (0.5%) and San Diego counties (2.4%).

“Weak buyer demand, largely prompted by elevated home prices, is playing a role in the softening housing market,” said CAR president Jared Martin. “However, with low-interest rates, cooling competition and an increase in homes to choose from, buyers can take advantage of a more balanced housing market.”

Mortgage rates fell to 4.06%, in March, a 14-month low. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.07% for the week ending May 16, down from last week’s rate of 4.10%, according to Freddie Mac.

Source: by Marilyn Kalfus | The Orange County Register