Butler County home sales in November rose 32 percent from November 2011, signaling a strong finish to an already strong year for the local housing market.

Real estate agents and homeowners sold 327 single-family homes and condominiums last month throughout the county. A year ago in November, 247 Butler County homes were sold, according to figures provided to the Journal by the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati.

However, the average sales price dropped about 6 percent from last year to $129,831, and the median price dropped 5 percent to $123,000.

Home sales are a key economic indicator, and the number of Butler County homes sold have been up every month this year from the same month in 2011 except for March.

Improved sales were seen across the Cincinnati region and state, rising 24.3 percent and 23.6 percent year-over-year, respectively.

The activity continues to be driven by “significant” pent-up demand for homes, high affordability, improving consumer confidence and tight, but gradually easing credit, said Gus Faucher, senior macroeconomist for PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh, Penn., one of the Cincinnati area’s biggest banks. Purchase prices and interest rates remain low, Faucher said.

Those same factors are expected to boost the housing market next year.

“I think that 2013 is going to be an even stronger year for home sales. Prices are going to be rising somewhat, but they’re still down substantially from where they were in 2006,” Faucher said.

“We’re recovering from very low levels of housing activity, so we are still well below normal levels of home sales and home building,” he added.

The entire Cincinnati region, including Butler County, had 1,546 home closings in November, compared to 1,244 homes sold November 2011. The average sales price for the entire Cincinnati market last month was $153,994, up 4.6 percent, according to Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, which houses the region’s MLS.

Home sales normally start slowing down this time of year, but strong sales have helped deplete the number of homes on the market to current inventories of 10,439 available houses. That could lead to more sales at higher prices, the board said.

“As long as the inventory of homes remains low, this will continue to put upward pressure on home prices. Add in our current interest rates, which remain at historic lows and you have a great environment for buying and selling a home,” said Tom Hasselbeck, a Fairfield real estate agent for Sibcy Cline and 2012 president of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors.

The sales reported for November are closings of sales generated in October and September, real estate agents said.