Connecticut house and condo sales rocketed skyward in April, as buyers here and across the nation rushed to close deals before federal tax credits for first-time buyers expired, according to a new sales survey.
Sales closings on single-family climbed 41 percent in April from a year earlier, while condo sales spiked 51 percent, according to The Warren Group, Boston. The median price for single-family homes and condos also increased.
“Sales of single-family homes and condos have been climbing year-over-year for seven straight months now and prices have also been on the rise. There is definitely growing confidence in the housing market, but foreclosure activity and high unemployment continue to threaten the housing market recovery,” said Warren Group CEO Timothy M. Warren Jr.
Single-family home sales jumped  to 2,163 in April from 1,531 in April 2009. A total of 6,687 home sales transactions were recorded in Connecticut in the first four months of the year, up 31.4 percent from 5,091 in the prior year.
Middlesex and Fairfield counties had the sharpest rise in home sales volume in April. In Middlesex County, home sales shot up 81.1 percent to 134 from 74 in April 2009. Fairfield County home sales jumped 76 percent to 521 from 296 during the same period.
Statewide, the median home price climbed 3.3 percent to $235,000 in April from $227,500 a year ago. The year-to-date median home price rose 5.8 percent to $236,000 from $223,000.
April median home prices were down, however, in Middlesex, New London and Tolland counties. In Middlesex County, the median home price plunged 21.8 percent to $227,500 from $291,000 in April 2009. Tolland County’s median home price retreated 11.6 percent to $211,250 from $239,000 during the same period. And in New London County, the median home price slipped 5.2 percent to $203,900 from $215,000.
Connecticut’s condominium sales increased for the seventh consecutive month in April. Condo sales surged 50.7 percent to 666 from 442. In the first four months, 2,002 condos have traded, up 30.6 percent 1,533 during the same months in 2009.
April’s median condo price was $179,900, a 5.2 percent from the $171,000 median price posted in April 2009. The year-to-date median condo price has climbed 2.9 percent to $180,000 from $175,000.
