Utah prices for homes sink while sales climb

(Deseret News) If you're listing your house in Utah County, be ready to slash your price.

According to data released Tuesday by the Utah Association of Realtors and the Salt Lake Board of Realtors, the Utah County housing market was brisker in the third quarter of 2009 — up 14.17 percent in number of units sold compared with the same time a year ago.

But the average price dropped from $229,900 in the third quarter of 2008 to $215,000 in the third quarter of 2009.

That was true, on average, throughout the Wasatch Front — the number of homes sold increased by 4 percent in the third quarter of this year, compared with the third quarter of last year, but sales prices dropped in almost all ZIP codes.

"On average" because not all counties saw an increase in home sales. They increased by 9.08 percent in Davis County and by the aforementioned 14.17 percent in Utah County. But sales were down in Salt Lake, Tooele and Weber counties by 1.16, 13.64 and 7.31 percent, respectively.

In Utah County, the housing market has been big on the supply side, with plenty of unoccupied houses with "for sale" signs on the lawns, said Matt Barton, president of the Utah County Association of Realtors.

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