国际英语新闻：Home sales up in Los Angeles area

LOS ANGELES, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Driven by tax incentives and low mortgage rates, homes sales in the Los Angeles County rose 12. 3 percent in May, compared to the same month a year ago, a real estate information service reported on Tuesday.

A total of 7,320 homes changed hands locally last month, compared to 6,521 in May 2009, according to MDA DataQuick.

A total of 22,270 new and resale houses and condos sold in the six-county Southern California region -- Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties -- in May, according to DataQuick.

That was up 9.7 percent from 20,299 in April, and up 7.2 percent from 20,775 in May 2009.

May sales throughout Southern California were the highest for that month since 2006.

The combination of tax incentives and low mortgage rates helped stoke sales in mid- to high-end areas, where distress has increased over the last year and sellers have become more motivated and realistic, DataQuick said.

"The important thing to remember, though, is that what we saw in May was partly driven by government stimulus," said John Walsh, DataQuick's president.

"In the second half of the year the market will have to stand on its own again, barring new forms of government involvement," he said. "Prices will be tested if there's any sudden move by lenders to release a flood of distressed properties."

In May, home prices increased 15 percent in the Los Angeles area,DataQuick said.

The median price of a home in Los Angeles County in May was 345, 000 dollars, compared to 300,000 in the same month a year ago.

The median price for a Southern California home was 305,000 last month, up seven percent from 285,000 in April, and up 22.5 percent from 249,000 in May 2009, according to DataQuick.