Baltimore-area home sales jump 2 percent in March

The number of homes sold in the Baltimore area increased almost 2 percent in March, a month that included rising temperatures and falling interest rates.

There were 1,894 houses  sold in the region in March, up from 1,862 in the same period last year, according to data from Rockville-based market research firm Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. The Baltimore area includes Baltimore City, and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties.

The average sale price in the region also jumped in March to $251,142, up 4.1 percent from $241,223 in March 2011.

Buyers and sellers enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather in March. The high temperature surpassed 60 degrees 23 times. The interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage also fell as low as 4.1 percent in middle of the month, according to Bankrate.com. Current rates sit at about 4.25 percent.

Here’s a March breakdown for the Baltimore region:

Units Sold

% Change

Average

 Sold Price

% Change

Anne Arundel

430

9.1

$329,120

-10.3

Baltimore City

417

-14.4

$136,604

39

Baltimore County

562

16.4

$219,799

-3.8

Carroll

103

21.2

$274,399

3.4

Harford

165

-21.1

$245,610

0.1

Howard

217

6.4

$391,068

9.9