The struggling Ocala real estate market got a bit of good news in the August home sales report released by the Florida Association of Realtors. Ocala’s single-family existing-home sales were up 27% from the prior year, with 262 sales, compared with 207. That was close to the statewide 28% increase. Gainesville, on the other hand, saw a decline from 176 sales to 161. However, prices remained fairly steady in Gainesville. They dropped dramatically in both the Ocala and Jacksonville markets.

Market	Change in Sales (from Aug. ’08)	Median Price	Change in Price (from Aug. ’08)
Gainesville	-9%	$175,500	-1%
Jacksonville	+17%	$155,200	-17%
Ocala	+27%	$107,400	-18%
Source: Florida Association of Realtors