Amador County – New home buying statistics from La-Jolla based researcher DataQuik give a promising outlook for the local housing market. Amador County home sales have risen, likely the result of a continued drop in median home prices. The median home price in Amador County is now $189,050, down from $ 196,500 in February. In the region as a whole, the median sales price for new and existing homes combined rose for the first time in more than a year to $165,000, up $5,000 from February's median. That’s the lowest since August 2005. Sacramento area homes saw the 12th consecutive month of gains in year-over-year sales. In the region, buyers closed 610 more escrows than in February in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties, according to researcher MDA DataQuick . In Amador County, 29 homes closed escrow in March, five more than in February. Heavily discounted bank repos comprised the majority of sales, which reached levels not seen since late 2008. Special government financing requiring just 3.5 percent down payments and rebates through the recent stimulus bill for first-time home buyers have fueled the steady rise in home sales, said Dataquik. Lower interest rates of 5 percent or less are also a major contributor. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.