Housing on the Rise

New numbers suggest that the weakened real estate market is showing new signs of life.

Both the Warren Group and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors report single-family home sales increased in January compared to last year.

This is the first time in two years that sales have gone up.

The Warren Group reports a 5.1 percent rise in single family homes with 3,304 homes sold compared to 3,144 homes sold last January.

The Realtors are reporting a greater increase, with home sales going up 12.6 percent. That figure excludes data including auctions, foreclosures and sales-by-owner.

Both reports also find a decline in the median selling price for single-family homes last month.