Local housing prices climbed in the 4th quarter

The National Association of Realtors recently confirmed what many local real estate agents already knew: home prices in the Colorado Springs area continued to rise last year, despite a slowdown in sales and an increase in homes on the market. The median price for Springs-area homes that were sold in the fourth quarter of 2006 rose to $219,400, a 4.9 percent gain over $209, 200 in the fourth quarter of the previous year, according to an NAR report on prices in 149 metropolitan areas.

By comparison, Denver-Aurora saw a 0.8 percent decline in the fourth quarter of 2006 over the same period a year earlier, and Boulder had a 3.9 percent increase. Nationwide, 71 metro areas had price gains, including 14 with double-digit increases; 73 areas had price declines; and five were unchanged.