TAMPA - Deep discounts and federal tax incentives led more people to buy homes here in the fourth quarter of 2009.

There were 7,163 existing single-family homes sold in the fourth quarter, up 28 percent from 5,579 during the same quarter a year ago. That's still fewer than in the third quarter, when 7,795 homes sold in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area.

The good news is that home prices, while still dropping, show more signs of stabilizing. The median sale price was $138,800 in the fourth quarter, down 7 percent from $149,400 a year ago. In the third quarter, homes prices had fallen 17 percent to $140,400.

Statewide, there were 43,926 sales, up 44 percent from 30,610 sales in the year-ago period. The median sale price in Florida was $140,000, down 13 percent from $160,000 during the fourth quarter last year.

The area's condo market saw a whopping 91 percent increase in sales. There were 2,283 sales, up from 1,195 in the fourth quarter last year. The jump came at the expense of prices. The median sale price was $104,400, down 16 percent from $124,900 last year.

Condo sales increased 93 percent statewide, and the median sale price fell 23 percent to $105,500.

Massive federal spending helped the national housing market show signs of stability. Home prices rose in more than 40 percent of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The median sale price for previously occupied homes rose in 67 out of 151 metropolitan areas in the October-December quarter compared with a year ago.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.