Resale housing activity in the area served by the BC Northern Real Estate Board was up from year-ago levels in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Home sales numbered 863 units in the fourth quarter, up 18 per cent from a year earlier.

On an annual basis 3,891 residential properties traded hands in 2011, an increase of six per cent from 2010.

Seasonally adjusted sales activity was stronger in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter of this year, rising by nine per cent.

The number of months of inventory for single detached homes was up compared to the fourth quarter of 2010. Buyers responded by taking more time to shop in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

The median sale price for single detached homes in the BC Northern region was $224,500 in the fourth quarter of 2011. This was up four per cent from the fourth quarter of 2010.

Median sale prices rose on a year-over-year basis in 100 Mile house, Prince George and Fort Saint John, but declined in Williams Lake, Quesnel, Smithers, Terrace and Kitimat. The average price was unchanged in Prince Rupert. At $338,000, the median sale price remains highest in Fort St. John.