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2011 home sales mixed in Valley
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning Valley home sales and dollar value of sales were mixed in 2011.
Overall home sales fell from 4,186 in 2010 to 4,116, according to the Youngstown-Columbiana Association of Realtors.
In Columbiana County, the number of home sales increased, climbing from 645 in 2010 to 682 in 2011, a 5.7 percent jump.
Mahoning County had a modest bump, trending upward from 1,873 in 2010 to 1,880 in 2011, a 0.73 percent increase.
Trumbull County suffered a 6.8 percent drop. There were 1,668 sales in 2010 and 1,554 in 2011.
Patti Mika, Real Living real-estate agent, said the market is “trying to get back to normal” after a disastrous 2009 year, but that the latter part of 2011 showed promise.
“My vibe right now is that they have picked up since last November,” she said. “My phone is ringing, and people are questioning me and wanting to see more than they did last year.”
Also mixed were average home-sale prices.
Total dollar value of sales fell from about $354 million in the three counties in 2010 to about $336 million in 2011.
Only Columbiana County had an increase, inching from $82,739 in 2010 to $82,888 in 2011, a 0.2 percent climb.
The average Mahoning County sale price dropped from $94,008 in 2010 to $88,896 in 2011, a 5.4 percent fall. Trumbull County average sale prices decreased from $74,154 to $72,559, a 2.2 percent drop.
December sales figures finished strong in both Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
Trumbull County sales rose from 107 in December 2010 to 129 in December 2011.
Columbiana County sales rose from 58 to 64.
In Mahoning County, sales dropped from 164 to 159.
“As an acting Realtor, I’ve seen definitely the pent-up buyers coming out,” David Klacik of the Youngstown-Columbiana Association of Realtors told The Vindicator late last year. “They’ve been sitting and watching the market and are now playing with cash.”
Ohio home-sale and sale-price figures for December and for 2011 are not yet available, according to the Ohio Association of Realtors.