Home sales show solid growth

Monthly home sales in the Sarasota-Bradenton region rose in February, according to an analysis of local real estate data from TrendGraphix.

There was a 13.6% increase in total sales in Sarasota in February over January, and a 14.6% increase in properties under contract, the report shows. In Manatee County, meanwhile, February sales were up 12.6% over January and sales under contract were up 22.1%. Keller Williams On The Water, a Manatee County-based real estate brokerage, provided the TrendGraphix data, which is available to Realtors and brokers.

More good news for sellers: The average price per square foot rose 8% in Sarasota and 2% in Manatee County last month, according to Sacramento-based TrendGraphix.

Still, not all the local real estate news is good. While total sales are up, prices are down, slightly. For example, according to CoreLogic, in a separate report, prices for home sales in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota region dropped 1.6% in January over January 2011. If distressed sales are taken out of the equation, the year-over-year price for January increased 0.9%.