Southland Home Sales, Prices Up in February

Sales of Southern California homes and condominiums in February rose 5.2% from the same month last year to 14,442 properties--the strongest showing for any February since 1990, according to DataQuick Information Systems, which monitors home sales activity. The median sales price in February for Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties rose 1.3% from the same month last year to $160,000. The median sales price rose or remained flat in all counties except Orange, which dipped 1.6% to $186,000. In Los Angeles County, the median sales price rose 1.2% to $163,000. San Diego reported the largest sales price gain, with the median climbing 4.2% to $170,000.