Prices that sellers in King County and regionally are getting for their homes have followed the economy’s downturn, according to Northwest Multiple Listing Service, a residential real estate organization that tracks the housing market in western Washington.

For October’s 4,512 closed sales of single-family homes and condominiums combined, the median price was $291,000, down 7.4 percent from the same month a year ago. A comparison with September shows a 1.3 percent decline from the median selling price overall of $295,000.

In southeast King County alone, the number of closed sales was down 25 percent from a year ago, but the median price in the transactions was nearly the same. The 359 sales last month were for a median (half higher, half lower) of $310,000. The figures in those categories in October 2007 were 479 and $320,000.

For all of King County, closed sales (1,722) were 27 percent lower and the median sale price of $358,500 was $29,000 below 12 months ago.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in the PNWLocalNews.com community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. So keep your comments:

• Civil
• Smart
• On-topic
• Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.

As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.

Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.