Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

The number of homes on the market across Southeast Michigan was up more than eight percent in December, compared to a year earlier. However, pending sales were down last month.

"Pending sales were down a little bit. Median sale prices were up again, over ten percent. And the homes on the market grew. It could be because of the prices," says Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp data sharing.

"That pending sale number is what we're really going to have to be paying attention to, because that tells us what's going on right now."

December's mixed back is really throwing off plans for both sellers and would-be home buyers.

"It certainly makes it difficult when you're looking at a median sale price of $259,900. And also those that maybe were waiting to sell their house, thinking the prices are good and now is the time. It's going to depend on where are they going? Because they have to buy something, they're in the same boat as everyone else."

Realcomp put the median sales price for a single-family home in Livingston County at $386,000 last month. It was $380,000 in Washtenaw County, but still $199,000 up in Genesee County.

"We thought as the inventory grew, we may see those prices stabilize some, but that hasn't been the case," says Kage. "The inventory growing, that is a good thing for buyers because they have more to choose from. As long as the inventory growing isn't because people aren't buying, that would be the concern."

See Realcomp's data for December attached below.