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Housing sales numbers for September slid sharply, locally, statewide and across the nation in a decline blamed largely on the mortgage industry’s troubles.

Lee County numbers were not only lower than they were in September 2006, they also fell from August figures.

Numbers released Wednesday by the Florida Association of Realtors show a 38 percent drop in the number of single-family home transactions across the state from September 2006 to September 2007. That translates to a slide from 14,044 Realtor-assisted sales to 8,688. Condominium sales followed that trend, dropping 37 percent from a year ago, from 4,032 a year ago to 2,557 in September..

Locally, the slide was more painful, with the number of single-family home sales in Lee County plummeting 53 percent over the year, from 693 to 327. Condominium sales trailed 39 percent below last September’s numbers, coming in at 102 as compared to September 2006’s 168.

Single-family homes in Lee County fell 11 percent over the year — from $261,400 in September 2006 to $231,600. When it comes to condominiums, the local dip was 3 percent from a year ago, falling from $231,500 to $224,000. Statewide, the median price for a single-family home was off 9 percent, from $243,300 to $221,200. Condo sales were down 4 percent across the state. The median price of a condominium in Florida fell from $202,800 in September 2006 to $194,200 this September.

The median price is the price at which half sold for higher amounts and half sold for lower amounts.

Figures for Collier County were not available, because the Naples Area Board of Realtors does not submit its monthly data to FAR.

Lee’s September single-family home median price was also down 7.7 percent from August, when it was $250,800. Condos provided the only upswing in the Lee figures, climbing 2.3 percent from August, when the median price was $218,800.

Upheaval in the mortgage industry played a role in the numbers, said Lawrence Yun, a National Association of Realtors senior economist, in a press release.

“Mortgage problems were peaking back in August when many of the September closings were being negotiated, and that slowed sales notably in higher priced areas that rely more on jumbo loans,” he said. “The good news is that mortgage availability has markedly improved in recent weeks with interest rates on jumbo loans falling, and more people are applying for safer and conforming FHA mortgage products. Some of the canceled transactions will move forward as buyers apply for other loans.”

Local Realtors anticipated the decline as well.

“There’s no hiding from these numbers. They are what they are,” said Brett Ellis, a partner with The Ellis Team at RE/MAX Realty Group in Fort Myers.

And looking forward, Lee County numbers Ellis uses to predict future statistics don’t bode well for the short term. Using a formula based on the number of active listings and the number of pending sales to come up with a current market index, Ellis doesn’t see good things for October or even November figures.

“The index tells me this market has not bottomed out yet,” he said.

The 15,438 single-family homes on the market countywide translates to about a three-year inventory, he said. He estimates that the 8,212 condominiums for sale is about a five-year inventory.

He said buyers seem to be riding the fence, waiting for the absolute rock bottom before making a commitment.

“I would like to see more activity than we’re seeing, because I think some buyers are seeing the opportunities but other buyers don’t recognize it yet,” he said. “Right now the buyer is actually looking at the best of both worlds — lower prices and lots of houses to pick from.”

He did say extremely desirable homes seem to be moving despite the market. If a home is unique or especially attractive or priced right, it’s going to sell, he said.

“We’ve lost five deals in this office in the last two weeks from buyers whose No. 1 house was sold out from under them. You can’t sit on the sidelines because the best homes are selling,” he said.

Gus Pasquale is executive vice president of Element Funding, a mortgage company that focuses on residential lending. After an industrywide tightening in subprime mortgage lending earlier this year, he’s seeing some signs of renewed buyer interest among those seeking traditional mortgages. Those signs include an upswing in the number of people picking up applications or coming in to be prequalified for a loan.

That increased activity may have something to do with a slight bump downward in mortgage rates. According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.38 percent in September from 6.57 percent in August; the rate was 6.40 percent in September 2006.

Pasquale was also encouraged by something he noticed in Wednesday’s FAR report: The median sales price for a single-family home in Florida has increased 58.5 percent since September 2002, when it was $139,600.

On the downside, he acknowledges that foreclosures will continue to be a significant factor for the foreseeable future.

Pasquale feels he’s witnessing a stand-off as sellers hold out on price and buyers wait for the bottom. It’s a situation that he believes will eventually correct itself, resulting in a real estate market that resembles what it looked like before the heydays of 2005 and 2006.

“Right now the market is struggling to get to normal,” he said. “What you see now is a tug of war between buyers and sellers to get to a normal market.”

In another report released Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors said the price of existing homes fell in September across the nation, coming in at $211,700. That’s down 4.2 percent from September 2006, when the median was $220,900. When it comes to inventory, the NAR report said it was up .4 percent in September to 4.40 million existing homes for sale. That number of homes translates to a 10.5-month supply.