by Calculated Risk on 2/15/2006 03:04:00 PM

DataQuick reports: Five-year low for Southland home sales

The number of Southern California homes sold in January edged down to the lowest level in five years ...

A total of 20,085 new and resale homes were sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month. That was ... down 7.4 percent from 21,680 for January last year, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

Prices were down too (a typical seasonal pattern), but still up 13% from last January.

In Orange County, the Register reports: Housing prices slip 6% in January

DataQuick reported today that the median sale price for all residences sold in January was $582,000 – down more than 6 percent from December's record $621,000 but still up 9 percent from January 2005. Sales volume was weak, too, as 2,594 homes sold – down 11 percent in a year. This was the slowest January since 1997.