September 2009 home sales in Spanish Fort, Daphne and Fairhope, Alabama

Home sales in the Eastern Shore of the Mobile, Alabama, metro area improved ever so slightly in September, with 87 sales, compared to 82 sales in August.

Pending sales dropped from 158 during the first week of September to 128 during the first week of October in Spanish Fort, Daphne and Fairhope/Point Clear. In typical years - and this is not a typical year - home sales slow during the back-to-school season and pick up again in late October. Whether there will be a last minute rush of buyers trying to qualify for the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit that expires Nov. 30, is anybody's guess.

Here are the stats for the Eastern Shore:
Total houses for sale: 1,211
Spanish Fort: 139
Daphne: 375
Fairhope: 569
Lake Forest: 123

Pending sales
Total: 128
Spanish Fort: 19
Daphne: 60
Fairhope: 35
Lake Forest: 14


Closed sales for September 2009
Total: 87
Average sales price: $233,867, down from $263,997 in August.
Median sales price: $184,900, down from $187,450 in July
List to sale percentage: 96.19%
Spanish Fort: 13
Daphne: 46
Fairhope: 21
Lake Forest: 7

(Data from the Baldwin County Multiple Listing Service)