Home sales in Riverside County dipped by 6.5 percent in February, compared to the same month a year ago, while prices rose by 3.7 percent, a real estate information service reported Tuesday.

A total of 3,199 homes sold in February, down from 3,420 for February 2009, while the median price of a home in Riverside County last month was $197,000, up from $190,000 in the same month a year ago, according to La Jolla-based MDA DataQuick.

According to DataQuick, 15,359 homes were sold in the six-county Southern California region – Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties – in February, virtually unchanged from 15,361 in January and up 0.8 percent from 15,231 in February 2009.

"It’s possible the stars won’t line up this way again for many years," said John Walsh, MDA DataQuick president. "With prices and mortgage interest rates this low, the cost of ownership is about as low as we’ve seen it in decades."

The median price of a Southern California home was $275,000 in February, up 1.3 percent from $271,500 in January and up 10 percent from $250,000 Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] in February 2009.

Home sales in San Diego County were down slightly in February, compared with the same month in 2009, but home prices increased 13 percent during the same period.

The tracking company reported that 2,465 homes were sold in San Diego County last month, compared to 2,473 in February 2009. The median price of a home in San Diego County last month was $322,000, up from $305,000 in January and $285,000 in February of last year.

Home sales in Los Angeles County rose by 9.7 percent in February, compared to the same month a year ago, while prices increased by 5.4 percent. A total of 5,034 homes sold in February, up from 4,590 for February 2009, while the median price of a home in Los Angeles County last month was $315,000, up from $299,000 in the same month a year ago.

In Orange County, the median home price was $417,000, up 11.2 percent from the February 2009 median of $375,000. A total of 1,986 homes were sold in that county last month, up 5.7 percent from the 1,879 home sales in February 2009.