The Tampa Bay area led the state with a 35 percent drop in the number of existing single-family homes sold in October, but sellers with extraordinary patience found a bit of bright news.

Prices, except for condominiums, held steady.

Both the selling drop and stable prices went against national trends. Nationally, sales of existing homes posted a tiny increase, but the median home price fell by a record amount.

"The market has definitely slowed down," said Brad Monroe, president of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. "But it's not bad. We're just getting back to the way it used to be."

In the Tampa Bay area, median prices on single-family homes held constant from October a year ago at $225,800, according to the Florida Association of Realtors.

Condominium numbers, however, were bleaker. The number of condos sold dropped 51 percent, compared with October 2005, and prices dropped 19 percent to a median sales price of $159,900.

Florida numbers were also moving in the opposite direction from national numbers, according to data released by the National Association of Realtors. The Sunshine State saw a 27 percent drop in the number of homes sold but a 7 percent increase in the median sales price.

Nationally, analysts forecast more price declines in coming months as the once-booming housing market undergoes a painful correction.

The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that existing home sales edged up 0.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.24 million last month. It was the first increase after seven consecutive monthly declines.

But the median price for a home sold dropped to $221,000 in October, a decline of 3.5 percent from a year ago. That was the biggest year-over-year price decline on record.

It marked the third straight month that median prices have fallen compared with the same period a year ago, the longest stretch of such declines on record. The median is the point at which half the homes sold for more and half for less.

David Lereah, chief economist for the Realtors association, said he expected home prices to continue falling for the rest of the year as sellers, accustomed to the booming market conditions of previous years, reluctantly cut their prices.

"Many buyers remain on the sidelines," Lereah said. "After a period of price adjustment, we'll see more confidence in the market, and a lift to home sales should be apparent in the first quarter of 2007."

The once-booming housing market, which had been one of the economy's standout performers for the past five years, has experienced a significant slowdown this year, which has dragged down overall economic growth.

Some analysts have worried that the correction in housing could be severe enough to drag the entire country into a recession. However, those fears have eased in recent months as a big fall in gasoline and other energy prices has provided support for consumer spending.

For October, sales were down 2.9 percent in the Northeast and 1.2 percent in the South. However, they rose 6.4 percent in the West and were unchanged in the Midwest.

The inventory of unsold homes rose 1.9 percent in October to 3.85 million units, the second highest total on record. Analysts predicted further price declines with inventories of both existing and new homes hovering near record levels.

By regions of the country, median prices were down the most in the South, a drop of 7 percent, followed by declines of 5.2 percent in the Northeast, 1.2 percent in the Midwest and 0.6 percent in the West.

Lereah said the big price decline in the South could represent not only sellers adjusting their asking prices but also a changing mix of sales, with lower-priced areas of the South, such as Texas, seeing an increase in sales, while high-priced areas, such as the Washington, D.C., area and Florida, still suffering sales declines.

SALES IN FLORIDA CITIES

Numbers are from October 2005 to October 2006

Fort Lauderdale

Median Sale Price: $349,400, down 5 percent

Units Sold: Up 5 percent

Fort Myers-Cape Coral

Median Sale Price: $249,200, down 44 percent

Units Sold: Up 36 percent

Jacksonville

Median Sale Price: $197,900, up 3 percent

Units Sold: Down 25 percent

Miami

Median Sale Price: $356,000, down 3 percent

Units Sold: Up 6 percent

Orlando

Median Sale Price: $267,100, up 5 percent

Units Sold: Down 29 percent

Sarasota-Bradenton

Median Sale Price: $277,900, down 18 percent

Units Sold: Down 24 percent

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater*

Median Sale Price: $225,800, no change

Units Sold: Down 35 percent

* Hernando County Association of Realtors data unavailable.

Sources: Florida Association of Realtors, University of Florida Real Estate Research Center

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Tampa Tribune reporter Shannon Behnken also contributed.