This is supposed to be the best period of the year to sell a home -- school is out and families traditionally like to use this time to make a move to a new house. People in the industry and people trying to sell a house hope that becomes the case, after an April in which both local home sales prices and home sales volume dropped, according to figures released Friday.
The Florida Association of Realtors reported that April's median sales price was $194,100 in Brevard County, down from $200,000 in March and $226,400 in April 2006. The median is the point at which half the homes sell for less, half for more.
There were 520 sales by Realtors of existing homes in Brevard in April, down 5 percent from March and down 6 percent from April 2006.
Lucille Miano, a broker associate with Re/Max Beach Towne in Melbourne Beach, said she sees indications of sales turning around -- she sold three homes in the last month, and was preparing to make an offer on a home for a client Friday afternoon -- but home prices still are declining.
Florida's property-tax situation isn't helping, she said.
"That's the biggest problem right now," Miano said. "Once they find out what their taxes are going to be, along with insurance, they just don't want the property."
Daryl Adkins hopes the end of the school year means an ample pool of willing buyers in Brevard in the next month or so, and that the three-bedroom Indialantic home he is trying to sell will catch someone's eye.
After two years and a couple of price reductions without a buyer, Adkins is hopeful, but not too confident.
"I think houses are selling," Adkins said. "The problem is there is just too many of them. The market is just flooded."
Traditionally, this should be the best period for home sales. Realtors say the home-selling market typically begins gathering momentum in February, with the strongest selling season usually lasting through May or early-June.
Although there have been positive signals that people are buying homes, the area's and the nation's housing markets have been in a slowdown period during the past year.
Adkins purchased his home for $245,000, and did extensively remodeling to the property. His initial asking price was $329,000, although he has reduced it to $233,000.
Gary Corbett of Melbourne also isn't getting a whole lot of buzz for his three-bedroom home in Melbourne, which he has listed for $225,000.
That's also a lower price than what he originally was asking -- he declined to say what the original listing was -- but, so far, "a few calls" is all he has had on the property.
He's not confident that he'll sell the house any time soon, but that doesn't worry him.
"I'm not in a hurry," Corbett said. " If it doesn't sell, I can stay here. It's just a lot of house for one person."
April condominium sales in Brevard fell 6 percent from March, and 27 percent from April 2006.
The median price for condominiums in Brevard rose 7 percent in April, compared with March -- to $180,000 from $167,500 -- but the price was down 13 percent from the April 2006 figure of $207,700.
Nationally, sales of existing homes fell 2.6 percent from March and were down 10.7 percent over the year.
Lawrence Yun, senior economist with the National Association of Realtors, blamed tighter lending practices on the sales drop.
"We've been anticipating slower home sales because many subprime loan products are no longer available," Yun said. "In addition, increased scrutiny by lenders is stopping risky mortgage origination, which is good for both consumers and the lending community."
Nationally, the median price of a home fell to $220,900, a 0.8 percent fall from the midpoint selling price a year ago.
It was the ninth consecutive decline in the median price.
Contact Price at 242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com.