Real estate sales sizzle in April

With property sales sizzling and housing inventory falling, the local real estate industry continues to shake the dew from the downturn — and April was a major milestone.

Sarasota County recorded the second most real estate sales in its history last month, with 1,195 closed transactions, according to a release from the Sarasota Association of Realtors. That number nearly eclipsed the record, which the county recorded in April 2004 with just 28 more sales than the same month this year.

Buyers closed on 759 single-family homes with a median sale price of $196,250, and purchased 436 condos for a median price of $183,500 in April, both of which increased by at least 4% over the same month last year.

The inventory levels in the county fell slightly from March to April to 4,728.

"Activity has been robust, and clearly there continues to be tremendous interest in buying properties in Sarasota County," said Sarasota Association of Realtors President Peter Crowley in the release. "Last year, June and July also continued to show a high level of sales and activity in the local real estate industry, so we are hoping for a repeat in 2014."