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Worcester County home sales dropped in February—mirroring the commonwealth—which saw a drop in sales for the first time since December 2011, according to a recent report by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.
Worcester County saw 298 home sales in February, which was a drop from 323 home sales in February 2012, a nearly 8 percent decrease. However, because of a strong January, home sales are down by only 1.03 percent overall in Worcester County this year compared to a year ago, according to The Warren Group.
Median sale price in Worcester County was up nearly 15 percent in February 2013 compared to February 2012, while the overall 2013 median sale price was up by 10 percent.
Over the entire state, home sales dropped 5 percent in February compared to a year ago. It was the first drop since December 2011.
"Two factors caused this modest drop in February: low inventory and a comparison with a strong previous year of sales," said Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group. "Even so, I'm still hopeful for a strong spring market. As more sellers list their homes in the spring, activity will pick back up."
Median sale prices are up across Massachusetts, which Warren connected to low inventory.
"With such low inventory, we're seeing bidding wars—homes selling above the asking price," Warren said. "As prices rise, more sellers will begin to list their property which in turn pumps up sales volume."
Massachustts single-family home sales by county
| Feb. 2012 | Feb. 2013 | % change | |
| Barnstable | |||
| Feb. sales | 163 | 182 | 11.66% |
| YTD sales | 416 | 401 | -3.61% |
| Feb median sale price | $265,000 | $328,000 | 23.77% |
| YTD median sale price | $297,500 | $320,000 | 7.56% |
| Bristol | |||
| Feb. sales | 156 | 177 | 13.46% |
| YTD sales | 336 | 361 | 7.44% |
| Feb. median sale price | $216,250 | $209,700 | -3.03% |
| YTD median sale price | $210,000 | $220,000 | 4.76% |
| Dukes | |||
| Feb. sales | 26 | 11 | -57.69% |
| YTD sales | 48 | 22 | -54.17% |
| Feb. median sale price | $556,345 | $555,000 | -1.14% |
| YTD median sale price | $551,250 | $558,500 | 1.32% |
| Essex | |||
| Feb. sales | 273 | 254 | -6.96% |
| YTD sales | 493 | 517 | 4.87% |
| Feb. median sale price | $270,000 | $300,000 | 11.11% |
| YTD median sale price | $283,000 | $293,000 | 3.53% |
| Middlesex | |||
| Feb. sales | 481 | 487 | 1.25% |
| YTD sales | 971 | 1,025 | 5.56% |
| Feb. median sale price | $330,000 | $360,000 | 9.09% |
| YTD median sale price | $349,500 | $370,000 | 5.87% |
| Nantucket | |||
| Feb. sales | 12 | 19 | -25% |
| YTD sales | 19 | 11 | -42.11% |
| Feb. median sale price | $737,007 | $766,500 | 4% |
| YTD median sale price | $765,000 | $766,500 | .20% |
| Norfolk | |||
| Feb. sales | 285 | 237 | -16.84% |
| YTD sales | 571 | 584 | 2.28% |
| Feb. median sale price | $325,000 | $326,000 | .31% |
| YTD median sale price | $325,000 | $355,000 | 9.23% |
| Plymouth | |||
| Feb. sales | 266 | 232 | -12.78% |
| YTD sales | 495 | 490 | -1.01% |
| Feb. median sale price | $224,450 | $271,000 | 20.74% |
| YTD median sale price | $230,000 | $260,000 | 13.04% |
| Suffolk | |||
| Feb. sales | 75 | 80 | 6.67% |
| YTD sales | 151 | 166 | 9.93% |
| Feb. median sale price | $238,700 | $333,000 | 39.51% |
| YTD median sale price | $245,000 | $333,000 | 37.96% |
| Worcester | |||
| Feb. sales | 323 | 298 | -7.74% |
| YTD sales | 677 | 670 | -1.03% |
| Feb. median sale price | $174,000 | $200,000 | 14.94% |
| YTD median sale price | $180,000 | $198,250 | 10.14% |
| MASSACHUSETTS | |||
| Feb. sales | 2,366 | 2,246 | -5.07% |
| YTD sales | 4,802 | 4,833 | .65% |
| Feb. median sale price | $245,000 | $275,000 | 12.24% |
| YTD median sale price | $250,750 | $279,900 | 11.63% |
Source: The Warren Group