INLAND EMPIRE – Riverside and San Bernardino counties are leading Southern California in declining home sales and rising prices.

The DataQuick real estate information service reported Tuesday that a worrisome job market and a lost sense of urgency among home shoppers pushed home sales across Southern California last month to its lowest August level in three years.

Locally, home sales in San Bernardino County plunged more than 23 percent while prices rose 9 percent above August of last year. Overall, the average Inland Empire home sold for $179,000 last month, the second-highest of the year. (INT)

Story Date: September 19, 2010