Sales of existing single family homes in Maine were more than 10 percent higher in 2009 than in 2008, according to the Maine Association of Realtors.

Sales of single-family existing homes in Maine rose by double digits in 2009. That's according to the Maine Association of Realtors, which says that, for the year overall, home sales grew 10.36 percent compared with 2008. The association says 10,486 homes were sold in Maine in 2009, compared with 9,502 in 2008.

Meanwhile, the median price of those homes fell over the year by nearly 9 percent. The median price means that half the homes sold for more and half for less.

The 2009 sales tally was bolstered by December 2009 sales, which were nearly 36 percent higher than the previous December. The association says 852 homes were sold in Maine in December of 2009, compared with 627 in December of 2008. Median sales prices last month also rose slightly -- by about 1.5 percent -- over the previous December.

"Overall, the trends are very positive," says broker Ann McFarland, who is with Mitchell and Byers Realty in Damariscotta. "They indicate that buyers are purchasing homes and that sellers are serious."

Home sales in 2009 topped sales in 2008 in nearly every county in Maine. The exceptions were Franklin, Hancock and Knox counties, where sales fell by 7.04 percent, 4.90 percent and 3.78 percent respectively. During 2009, the median sales price for existing single family homes fell in every county.