Home sales in Orlando for the month of January registered an increase compared to the other areas in the state. With 1,127 home sales which is equivalent to an increase of 28% compared to the same period last year, Orlando is up to a good start. This was confirmed by the Florida Association of Realtors. With the exception of Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater which registered an increase of 17% with 1,573 home sales, Orlando leads the rest of the region numbers-wise. Trailing Orlando is Fort Myers-Cape Coral with 758 homes sold which is a 124% increase in sales from last year.

The Florida Realtors were able to sell 8,450 homes this January which is a 24% increase compared to the same period last year. The increase is attributed to the improving affordability of home prices considering that the average home price in the state went down 33% from $206,900 in January 2008 to $139.500 this year. The average home price in Orlando also went down by 32% or by $150,500.

The average sales price of condominiums in Florida went down steeply by 40% to $113.400. However, the Metro Orlando area— which includes the Lake, Osceola, Seminole and Orange counties— had the biggest reduction in condominium prices at 60% which settled at $62,200.