September home sales dropped 13 percent compared to last year to their lowest level since the 1990s, according to Boston-based real estate tracking firm The Warren Group.
A total of 3,285 homes were sold in September compared to 3,771 a year earlier.
For the third quarter, sales are down about 20 percent from 13,230 last year to 10,526 this year. That’s the fewest third quarter sales since 1990. In the second quarter of this year, 14,007 homes were sold.
Year-to-date home sales are still above last year’s pace thanks to the federal first-time homebuyer tax credit, which propped up the market for much of the beginning of the year.
Condominiums sales also fell in September, off 21.5 percent from last year’s pace.
The Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported similar September results, with home sales off 14 percent from last year and 10.4 percent from the August. The MAR reported that the median single-family home price did creep up 1.7 percent, continuing 11 straight months of year-over-year gains.
MAR statistics only count transactions involving a real estate agent.
