In Hampden County, the region's largest housing market, sales rose 45.2 percent, but the median price fell 7.5 percent.
SPRINGFIELD — Driven by low mortgage rates and an improving economy, sales of single family homes rose 30.4 percent last month, according to statistics released this week by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley.
There were 253 homes sold in April 2011 and 330 sold in April 2012.
But increasing demand hasn’t cut into the supply of homes for sale enough to drive up prices, said Barry N. Boccasile, director of growth and development for Park Square Realty and manager of its Westfield office.
“There still is a lot of inventory,” Boccasile said. “People are really shopping around.”
He said a relatively mild winter also got people out and looking for homes earlier than normal.
According to the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley, the median price paid for single family homes in the Pioneer Valley fell 9.5 percent from $180,100 in April 2011 to $163,000.
“The buyers who are out there are good buyers who have gotten their pre-approvals for a mortgage and are ready to go,” said Karen C. King, a realtor with Karen King Group at Re/Max Prestige in Wilbraham. “On the other hand it is a buyer’s market and they are still in control of the negotiation in so many ways,”
She said buyers are putting in offers, but those offers are often lower than asking prices.
“And in many cases they are getting what they are looking for,” King said.
Banks are still selling foreclosed-upon homes at steep discounts and homeowners in danger of defaulting are also making short-sales — sales of homes for less than what is owed on the mortgage. Both types of sales keep prices low.
King said low interest rates are spurring buyers who qualify.
According to FreddieMac.com, the average rate on 30-year loans ticked down to 3.83 percent this week. That is below the previous record rate of 3.84 percent reached last week.
In Hampden County, the region’s largest housing market, sales rose 45.2 percent from 166 homes in April 2011 to 241 in April 2012. The median price fell 7.5 percent from $160,000 to $148,000.
In Hampshire County, sales rose 18.2 percent from 55 to 65. The median price fell 7.2 percent from $263,266 in April 2011 to $245,000 in April 2012.
In Franklin County, sales fell 25 percent from 32 in April 2011 to 24 in April 2012. The median price fell 10.2 percent from $187,500 to $168,450.
Since April 2005, home prices have fallen 17.2 percent from $196,950 to $163,000.