In October, a number of areas of the Fredericksburg, Va., real estate market saw a rise in the number of homes sold, while other parts experienced a jump in median sale prices, according to The Long & Foster Market Minute reports. The Fredericksburg market includes Fredericksburg City and Spotsylvania, Stafford, Culpeper and Caroline 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.

According to October data, the number of homes sold varied throughout the Fredericksburg area compared to the year before. Culpeper County experienced a jump of 30 percent, while Spotsylvania County enjoyed a 20 percent increase and Stafford County saw a 2 percent increase. Caroline County experienced a 9 percent drop compared to the prior year, and Fredericksburg City had a 24 percent decline in the number of homes sold.

Median sale prices in the Fredericksburg region also varied in October compared to the same month in 2013, with Fredericksburg City seeing a dramatic increase of 64 percent. Spotsylvania County had a gain of 7 percent, while Stafford County experienced a 2 percent increase. Culpeper County saw a 2 percent drop, while Caroline County experienced a decline of 1 percent.

Homes in the Fredericksburg region are selling at a steady pace, with Stafford County experiencing the shortest marketing period at 51 days on market (DOM). Spotsylvania County followed with a DOM of 52 days. Fredericksburg City experienced a DOM average of 55 days. Caroline and Culpeper counties saw DOM averages of 71 days and 78 days, respectively. Active inventory levels rose throughout the region from 1 percent to 28 percent.

“October brought modest improvements to the Mid-Atlantic real estate market, including in the Fredericksburg region,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and chief operating officer for The Long & Foster Companies. “In many areas we saw increases in the number of homes being sold, as well as some positive trends in median sale prices. These are welcome signs for real estate in the region, and with continued improvements being made in the economy, we expect a smooth end to 2014.”

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 users can subscribe to free updates for the reports in which they’re interested.