February home sales down 28% in Capital Region

The number of houses sold in metro Baton Rouge was down 28% when compared with a year earlier. There were 430 houses sold in the Capital Region last month, compared with 598 in February 2008, according to figures from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service. Despite the sales drop, average sale prices were up slightly across the region. The average house sold for $196,585, 2% than the average sale price of $192,652 in February 2008. But those gains came from East Baton Rouge Parish, where the average sale price increased by 9.6% from month to month, going from $194,583 in February 2008 to $213,315 last month. Average sale prices were down in Ascension, where the average home price fell by 9%, from $229,472 to $208,666, and Livingston, which fell 10.2% to $149,213. The other category, which includes sales in West Baton Rouge, the Feliciana parishes and Iberville, was down 4.6%, to $154,562. February is traditionally a slow month for home sales because of Mardi Gras.—Timothy Boone