Statewide sales jump

The Florida Association of Realtors said single-family home sales rose in Florida last month, although prices kept slipping. The state wide jump was only a total of six houses, making the bottom line results flat, but it could mean the market is finding a floor, the association reported. Fort Lauderdale reported 581 existing home sales, down slightly from last year’s 559 sales. The median sales price fell 19 percent, to $303,600 from $373,700; Miami bucked the trend as well with just 392 existing homes sold in July, a 22 percent drop from 505 home sales during the same period last year. The median sale prices declined to $322,700 from $377,400. In West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, 652 homes sold in July compared with 605 homes a year ago, an 8 percent increase. Median prices, however, were down to $291,300 from $372,200, a 22 percent drop.