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The median price of condominiums sold during March in Santa Clarita set a record high at $605,000 as realtors helped close escrow on 206 single-family homes and 85 condominiums during March, the Southland Regional Association of Realtors reported on Thursday.

Those totals were up dramatically from the February tallies — Home sales were up 27.2 percent while condominium sales surged 70.0 percent. However, totals for both categories were down 19.5 percent and 23.4 percent, respectively, from a year ago, which was the best sales totals in recent years.

The condominium median price was up 30.1 percent from a year ago and only the second time above the $600,000 benchmark.

The 206 homes that changed owners last month had a median price of $850,000, meaning half had a higher price and half a lower price. The home median was up 15.3 percent from a year ago, yet off 0.2 percent from the record-high median price of $852,000 set in February.

“Sales typically rev up this time of year, with each month a bit more active as summer approaches.said Louisa Henry, chair of the Santa Clarita Valley Division Council of SRAR. “Even with interest rates on purchase mortgage hitting 5 percent recently, which is still a good rate. I fully expect to see a busy summer as buyers are as hungry for housing as ever and more owners seem eager to capture (today’s) favorable sales prices.”

The association reported a total of 214 active listings at the end of March, which was down 3.2 percent from a year ago. That was a 0.7-month supply at the current pace of sales.

“It may seem counter intuitive, but recent increases in mortgage rates may yield opportunities for prospective buyers,” said Tim Johnson, the Association’s chief executive officer. “Higher rates combined with rising prices will further reduce the pool of prospective buyers, which could yield less competition for available inventory.”

Pending escrows, a measure of future sales, were off 12.3 percent from March 2021 for a total of 356 open escrows.

The Southland Regional Association of Realtors is a local trade association with more than 11,000 members serving the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys. SRAR is one of the largest local associations in the nation.