Some areas of Northern Virginia saw an increase in the number of homes sold in December, and parts of the region also enjoyed rising median sale prices, according to the Long & Foster Market Minute reports. The Northern Virginia market includes the city of Alexandria and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties. The Long & Foster Market Minute reports are compiled from data from residential real estate transactions within specific geographic regions, not just Long & Foster sales.

In Northern Virginia, the real estate market saw increases in median sale prices in a number of areas when compared to December 2013, including a 9 percent jump in Prince William County. Arlington County saw median sale price rise by 8 percent, and Fairfax County experienced a 6 percent increase. Loudoun County saw no change in median sale price compared to the previous year, while Alexandria City experienced a 2 percent drop.

The number of units sold jumped by 17 percent in Prince William County, while Fairfax County saw a smaller increase of 9 percent. Arlington County experienced a 5 percent increase in the number of homes sold in December. Alexandria City and Loudoun County saw decreases of 6 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

Inventory increased throughout most of the region, with Loudoun County seeing the largest jump at 30 percent. Arlington County followed with a 22 percent increase in inventory. Inventory rose by 15 percent in Fairfax County and by 12 percent in Prince William County. Alexandria City saw no change in the amount of active inventory on the market.

Homes have continued to sell at a solid pace throughout Northern Virginia, according to December data. In Arlington County, the average days on market (DOM) was 39 days, followed by Loudoun County with a DOM of 46 days. Alexandria City experienced an average DOM of 48 days, while Fairfax and Prince William counties followed with DOMs of 49 days and 52 days, respectively.

“December brought modest improvements to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast real estate market, including in the Northern Virginia region, with many areas enjoying rising numbers of homes sold and growing median sale prices,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer for The Long & Foster Companies. “These developments are positive for the real estate market and leave us positioned for growth in 2015.”

The Long & Foster Market Minute is an overview of market statistics based on residential real estate transactions and presented at the county level. The easy-to-read and easy-to-share reports include information about each area’s units sold, active inventory, median sale prices, months of supply, new listings, new contracts, list to sold price ratio, and days on market. Featuring reports for more than 500 local areas and neighborhoods in addition to more than 100 counties in eight states, The Long & Foster Market Minute is offered to buyers and sellers as they aim to make well-informed real estate decisions.

The Long & Foster Market Minute reports are available at www.LongandFoster.com, and you can subscribe to free updates for the reports in which you’re interested.