by Calculated Risk on 1/18/2007 02:39:00 PM

DataQuick reports: California December Home Sales

Last month's sales made for the slowest December since 1996 when 33,591 homes were sold.

Note that 1996 was the last year of the early '90s housing bust in California.

Click on graph for larger image.

A total of 41,100 new and resale houses and condos were sold statewide last month. That's up 4.8 percent from 39,200 for November and down 22.2 percent from a 52,800 for December 2005.

Last month's sales made for the slowest December since 1996 when 33,591 homes were sold.

The median price paid for a home last month was $474,000. That was up 1.1 percent from November's $469,000, and up 3.5 percent from $458,000 for December a year ago.

Although some areas in California are already seeing YoY nominal price declines - like San Mateo, Sonoma, San Diego and Ventura - the median YoY price in California increased slightly.