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Home sales go down, but not prices By DAVID PRESZLER Home sales in Jackson County cities were down in January but the average price continued to rise, according to appraisal figures released Thursday. There were 104 single-family homes sold in January, down slightly from January 1998's 106, according to Roy Wright Appraisal Service, which tracks sales in all the county's incorporated areas through the Multiple Listing Service's statistics. January is traditionally among the year's slowest months for home sales. The month's 104 sales were down from the 152 that were completed in December 1998. Sales volumes in the largest areas were lower in east Medford (down seven sales to 30 for the month), Central Point (down one to 13), Phoenix-Talent (down five to seven) and Ashland (down two to 20). West Medford was the only large area to show an increase, doubling from the 12 sales in January 1998 to 24 last month. The average home sale price in January was $138,273 -- up 7 percent ($8,484) from a year ago. The low volume of sales can skew the average, especially in individual areas. Average sale prices remained roughly unchanged from January 1998 for east Medford (up $513 to $144,516 on 30 sales) and Central Point (up $215 to $116,658 on 13 sales). In west Medford, prices were down 9 percent ($9,149) to $94,299 on 24 sales. Phoenix-Talent and Ashland showed increases over January 1998's levels, made more dramatic because of a couple high-priced purchases. On Ashland's 18 sales, the average price rose 28 percent ($42,724) to $193,042. In Phoenix and Talent, it was up 13 percent ($14,160) to $126,114 on just seven sales. The number of houses on the market in the larger incorporated areas (Medford, Central Point, Phoenix, Talent and Ashland) was also lower last month than it was in January 1998, down 31 to 611 listed homes. The only jump in the number of houses on the market came in Central Point, where 99 were listed compared with 69 in January 1998. Phoenix-Talent saw the biggest decline, down 32 listings to 24. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA