I recently discovered the village of Gulfport, which sits on Boca Ciega Bay directly west of the city of St. Petersburg. This is a great little gem with quaint shops and charming restaurants, which reminded me of all the other great little waterfront gems in the state of Florida including Anna Maria. But just because we love these places doesn’t mean they’re inoculated from the effects of the real estate market.

According to last week’s report from the Commerce Department, sales of new single family homes rose only slightly in October after the three previous months of low growth. New home construction represents only about 10 percent of all home sales, but construction adds more jobs and investment into the economy than sales of existing homes.

Although the sale of previously owned homes has improved this year, this sector did not give the economy the boost that was expected. This is primarily because of minimal income growth, reduced sales and continued difficulty getting mortgages in spite of rates near 4 percent, handicapping the market for new and re-sales.

The October sales statistics for Manatee County as a whole are a little more encouraging than the rest of the country. The median sales price for single family homes in October of this year was $231,000 compared to $215,000 in October of last year, representing a 7.4 percent increase. The average sale price for the same time frame was $281,049 compared to $262,038, a 7.3 percent increase.

The closed sales this October were 526 compared to 483 last year an 8.9 percent increase and the pending inventory is down this October by 9.8 percent, so there is less competition at this point.

The Manatee County condo and townhouse market also has shown an improvement with median sales price at $131,500 this year compared to $125,050 last year, a 5.2 percent increase, and the average sale price this year is $174,026 compared to $168,728 last year, a 3.1 percent increase. Closed sales were almost exactly even with 175 this year and 174 last year, and pending inventory this year is also down by 13.4 percent.

The three Island cities, Cortez and Longboat Key, which are analyzed by the Manatee Association of Realtors as a group, are not doing as well as the county as a whole, at least not in dollars. The average sales price this October was $759,177 compared to $907,876 last year, and the median price was $630,000 this year compared to $780,000 in October of last year. However, the total sales were higher in October of this year by 10 sales, and the average list price for this small area in October was $819,665. Sales statistics in small high end areas can change dramatically based on just a few sales so these numbers could look entirely different next month.

And speaking about high end sales, a little analysis of over one million dollar sales for the months of September and October in the three Island cities and Cortez show the following: $1,040,000 waterfront in the city of Anna Maria, $1,550,000 canal front in the city of Anna Maria, $1,375,000 in Key Royale in Holmes Beach; $1,230,000 lot in Holmes Beach and $1,600,000 duplex in Holmes Beach. Not too bad considering these are properties that likely went under contract during the summer.

If real estate statistics were influenced by charm and quaintness, then we would all be in great shape. Unfortunately, we have to earn our numbers, so watch carefully what happens during the next several months. In the meantime, enjoy all that Florida’s west coast has to offer while you’re waiting for the next update.