Warren Group

Worcester County continues to buck the statewide trend of declining home sales, posting a 8.1-percent increase in the number of single-family sales in January.

Single-family Worcester County home sales grew by 2.6 percent last month compared to December 2016, while statewide sales in Massachusetts fell 6.6 percent.

The median price of a single-family home in Worcester County was $257,700 in November, an increase of just over 11 percent from last November, a signal the county is becoming a desirable place in which to live.

Single-family home prices rose in November, most drastically in Westborough, Natick and Southborough, which all surpassed $600,000 in median home price.

Homes are being sold in Massachusetts again after months of slow sales, including in Worcester County, where 762 single-family homes were sold in November.

The trends are going in the right direction for homeowners: an increase in prices and a sharp drop this year in foreclosures, both in Central Massachusetts and across the state. A tight supply market means finding a home is more difficult.

Foreclosure petitions in Central Massachusetts fell by 52 percent in Worcester County and 50 percent in Middlesex County in October, accelerating a trend that lasted through the year.

According to Realtor.com, the Worcester area is the 27th fastest growing housing market among the nation's 100 largest metropolitan regions.

After months of slow sales and rising prices, Worcester County saw a surge in the number of home and condo sales last month.

The median price of a home sold last month in Worcester County rose by $15,000 compared to last September.