(RECAP: A solid fourth-quarter performance in 2016 helped maintain momentum and close out a strong year for Virginia real estate. A total of 26,308 residential properties went to closing across the commonwealth October through December, up 6.8 percent from the same period in 2015, according to figures reported Jan. 24 by the Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR). For the full calendar year, sales across Virginia amounted to 116,091 transactions, up 6.6 percent from 2015. In the fourth quarter, year-over-year home sales were up in every corner of the commonwealth, ranging from a 0.8-percent increase in the Shenandoah Valley to a 15.7-percent jump in Southwest Virginia. In VAR’s Northern Virginia reporting area, sales were up 6.5 percent to 9,598. The area encompasses the inner and outer suburbs of the Washington region, as well as areas farther south toward Fredericksburg. The median sales price for all properties that sold during the quarter statewide was $265,000, up 3.9 percent from a year before and rising 5.6 percent from 2014. The median price was down from the $279,000 reported in the second quarter and $271,000 reported in the third quarter of 2016, a seasonal drop in line with historic norms.)

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