Existing home sales in metro Orlando continued to outpace sales in most of the rest of Florida during the third quarter, with Orlando Realtors reporting 4,689 single-family homes sold during the three months ended Sept. 30. That was 14 percent of the statewide total.

Orlando sold almost four times more homes than Miami-Dade during the period, three times more than Fort Lauderdale and almost twice as many as Jacksonville, the report by the Florida Association of Realtors showed.

Only the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area sold more houses than Orlando, with 6,502 closings. But Tampa's volume sales increase from the previous year, 10 percent, was lower than Orlando's 17 percent gain, and Tampa's homes were selling for lower prices. The median sale price in Tampa was $169,700 during the quarter, and in Orlando it was $198,200.

Tampa real estate industry consultant Peter Murphy said his analysis of the markets shows that Orlando's foreclosure properties tend to be more expensive and in better condition than the average foreclosure in the Tampa Bay area. "I've been impressed with the quality of a lot of bank-owned properties in Orlando," Murphy said. "Tampa area foreclosures have tended to be more what you expect in a foreclosure."


Statewide, Realtors sold 5 percent more homes during the quarter than a year ago. The median price was down 20 percent, to $185,400.

Condo sales continued to languish, though, with 9,472 changing hands statewide, down 2 percent. The median price, which means half sold for less and half for more, was off 18 percent to $160,000.

Orlando's condo sales were off 7 percent, and the median was down 26 percent to $114,000.


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