Fewer homes and condos sold in Lee County in February 2007 than in February 2006, and the prices they sold for were lower than a year ago as well, according to numbers released Friday by the Florida Association of Realtors.

There were 149 Realtor-assisted condo sales in Lee County in February, compared to 195 in February 2006. That’s a drop of 24 percent. When it comes to cost, the median sales price for a Lee County condo tumbled 31 percent, dipping from $356,600 in February 2006 to $247,000 in February of this year.

For single-family homes, there were 423 Realtor-assisted home sales in Lee County in February, compared to 682 in February 2006, a 38 percent decrease. The median price of a single-family home in Lee County went from $280,300 in February 2006 to $256,100 in February of this year, a dip of 9 percent.

Statewide, 3,172 condos sold with the help of a Realtor in February, compared with 4,397 in February 2006, a drop of 28 percent. The sales price held steady, dipping just $800, from $213,000 in February 2006 to $212,200 in February 2007.

When it comes to month-to-month numbers, the median price of a Lee County condo dipped from $285,000 in January to $247,000 in February. The median price of a single-family home dropped as well, from $266,900 in January to $256,100 in February.

Jim Scartz, president of the Bonita Spring-Estero Association of Realtors and a Realtor with John R. Wood Inc., said numbers don’t always tell the whole story. He isn’t worried.

“Those numbers don’t alarm me,” he said. “Right now we’ve got the best inventory since 1991. I think we’re at the bottom. How long we’re going to stay there is the next question. That’s one nobody seems ready to answer yet.”

Scartz said the unsold inventory is the greatest in the area of condominiums. He estimates Lee County has a 1½- to 3-year supply of condos on the market.

Joe Pavich Sr., owner/broker of Realty World Florida, is seeing some recovery, primarily in homes priced below $300,000 and those priced above $900,000.

“The upscale places, Bonita Bay, Pelican Landing, The Brooks — the prices in those areas are within 5 percent of where they’re going to be,” he said.

He said the Sunshine Multiple Listing Service, or MLS, a Realtor property database, tells the story.

“You’ll see 40 to 50 sale pendings per day (on the MLS),” he said. “Forty percent of it is above $900,000. Fifty percent of it is sub-$300,000. Only 10 percent of it is in between. That’s where there needs to be some adjustment.”

Scartz and Pavich also believe the picture is less gloomy than Friday’s FAR numbers indicate. Numbers from February 2006 were artificially high, they theorize, because so much speculation was going on in what was still a relatively hot real estate market.

“There were all those investors that bought and then listed properties that were never occupied, that were flips from new construction. Those have distorted the numbers,” Pavich said.

Information from: www.naplesnews.com

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