Wis. home sales, prices rise in Dec.

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Wisconsin's housing market is continuing to show signs of steady recovery.

The Wisconsin Realtors Association says home sales and sale prices in Wisconsin registered double-digit gains last month.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the association reports there were 4,280 closed sales in December 2012, an 11 percent increase from December 2011. For the full year, there were 62,561 sales, a nearly 21 percent jump from 2011.

The median sale price in December was $132,500, a 10 percent increase from the same month a year ago. The median sale price for 2012 was $133,500, a 1 percent increase from the year before.

Officials say Wisconsin's housing market has been helped by a drop in foreclosures and a decline in the number of unsold homes.