Sales of existing homes fell in March on the national level, but rose on the state and local levels.
Figures released Monday by the National Association of Realtors show a 4.9 percent decline to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.21 million. National sales are struggling to rebound after slumping in the second half of last year, when mortgage rates rose to nearly 5 percent, which discouraged many would-be buyers. The Ohio Realtors trade association says more than 11 thousand existing homes were sold in March, up from 89 hundred in February. And the Columbus Realtors trade association says nearly 24 hundred homes were sold in it's multi-county region, up from nearly 18 hundred in February. The average statewide price was over 177 thousand dollars in March, down from 184 thousand the previous month. The average regional sale price was over 221 thousand dollars, a slight increase from February.
