Central Ohio closes banner year in real estate

Central Ohio home sales in 2003 set all a record-high of 24,306 closed transactions, up 9.2 percent from 2002's record 22,267 sales, according to the Columbus Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service.

"We were stunned at the level of activity last year," said Skip Weiler, president of the Columbus Board of Realtors. "Despite negative predictions early in the year, home buyers flooded the market, taking the real estate industry by storm."

The average price of a home sold in Central Ohio in last year was $166,928, which is 5 percent higher than the average sale price of $158,927 in 2002. All tolled, Central Ohioans bought and sold more than $4 billion dollars worth of residential homes in 2003, up 14.7 percent from the total dollar volume transferred in 2002.

The Columbus Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service serves all of Franklin, Delaware, Union, Madison and Morrow counties and some of Licking, Fairfield, Knox, Logan, Marion and Pickaway counties.

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