B.R. home sales up in October

Home sales in metro Baton Rouge were up 4.3% in October compared with the year before. There were 555 houses sold in the area, according to figures obtained today from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. That compares with 532 sales in October 2008. The average sale price was down slightly, from $196,542 in October 2008 to $187,185 last month, showing the continued popularity of the starter home market. Livingston Parish saw the biggest jump, with the number of houses sold going up 21%, from 85 in October 2008 to 103 last month. The average sale price also rose in Livingston, to $167,292, compared with $159,680. East Baton Rouge Parish saw a 4.2% increase in sales, from 310 to 323. The average sale price dropped from $205,005 in 2008 to $190,377 last month. Ascension Parish saw a 7.7% drop in home sales, from 104 to 96, but the average sale price still remained the highest in the region, at more than $200,000. Sales in the “other” category, which includes MLS transactions in West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, Iberville and the Feliciana parishes, held steady at 33.This is the second consecutive month that 2009 home sales were ahead of the previous year’s pace. Overall, home sales are down 10.3% from 2008, when there were 6,462 houses sold through October with an average sale price of $203,725. Through the first 10 months of the year, there have been 5,798 homes sold through MLS, with an average sale price of $192,836.