Residential real estate sales in Florida continued to climb for the third year in a row, according to the latest data released by Florida Realtors, a professional organization for real estate agents.

The same is true for the West Pasco Board of Realtors. Sales among its members for single-family homes and villas were up 14 percent over 2010. Sales of condos, townhouses and co-ops rose 36 percent.

Buyers and investors still seek bargains. Sixty-four percent of single-family home sales in West Pasco were priced less than $100,000. A total of 2,299 sales, or 92 percent, were priced less than $200,000. For condos, a little more than half the sales were priced less than $50,000.

Inventory averaged 2,154 homes and condos, or an average of eight months worth of sales. The average days-on-market was 103.

In 2011, the state's existing home sales rose 8 percent for the year, with 185,921 homes sold compared to 172,462 homes sold in 2010. The statewide existing-home median price for 2011 was $131,700. It was $135,900 in 2010, a 3 percent decrease.

In Florida's condo market, a total of 87,581 units sold statewide in 2011, a gain of 15 percent, compared to 76,209 units sold in 2010. The statewide existing condo median price in 2011 was $88,300; it was $90,000 in 2010, a 2 percent decrease.

"Florida's economy is continuing to strengthen, which is good news," said 2012 Florida Realtors President Summer Greene, regional manager of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Florida 1st in Fort Lauderdale.

"To re-energize the housing market and the economic recovery, we need improved access to affordable financing options for qualified buyers and investors," Greene said.

The statewide existing-home median sales price last month was $134,300, up 1 percent from the $133,000 reported in December 2010, according to Florida Realtors' data.

The national median existing single-family home price was $165,100 in December, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The statewide existing condo median sales price in December was $91,900, up 4 percent from the $88,400 reported a year earlier. The national median existing condo price was $160,000 in December, according to NAR.

Sixteen of Florida's metropolitan statistical areas reported higher existing home sales at the close of 2011 compared to 2010; the same number of MSAs also reported higher existing condo sales.

The Tampa-Clearwater-St. Petersburg MSA, which includes Pasco County, led the state in single-family sales at 30,425 sales, 3,000 more than sold in the second-place Orlando MSA. The Tampa MSA ranked fourth in condo sales with 10,377 sales, behind Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach.

"Although sales were down slightly in December, they're up strongly for the year, which reinforces the reality that Florida is in a slow real estate recovery," said Florida Realtors Chief Economist John Tuccillo.

"Our expectation is that recovery will continue through 2012. The major obstacle in the market is the inadequate accessibility to financing. Prices are moderating, but we don't expect too much movement owing to the continuing significance of distressed properties," he said.