BOSTON – Sales of single-family homes and condominiums in Rhode Island increased during the third quarter compared with the same period in 2008, but prices continued to slide, according to real estate tracking firm The Warren Group.

The firm reported single-family home sales rose 19.7 percent to 2,334 from July through September, from 1,950 during the same months last year. The median sales price during the quarter fell 8.7 percent to $210,000 from $230,000 the prior year.

Median sales price also dropped during September, falling 6.8 percent to $205,000 from $220,000 in September 2008. The Warren Group reported it was the smallest year-over-year decline this year.

Every county in the Ocean State saw prices fall in September, with Providence experiencing the sharpest decline – 11 percent – with the median price falling to $178,000 from $200,000 in September 2008. Bristol County recorded the smallest drop, falling 4 percent to $299,000.

“Reduced prices and the first-time homebuyer tax credit have helped push up home sales in Rhode Island and other parts of New England. Single-family home sales in Massachusetts and Connecticut also improved in the third quarter but the gain in Rhode Island was more significant,” said Timothy M. Warren Jr., CEO of The Warren Group.

Year-to-date, sales in Rhode Island remain just shy of 5 percent ahead of last year, with the Warren Group reporting 5,487 sales, up from 5,235 last year.

The condo market also showed signs of life this quarter, with statewide sales in the third quarter 2.9 percent ahead of the same period last year. The group reported 430 condos sold, up from 418 during the third quarter of last year.

But the median sale sales price tumbled 9.8 percent to $184,900 from last year’s $205,000. The year-to-date median condo price has fallen 16.3 percent to $180,000 from $215,000.

The Warren Group Inc. is a provider of New England real estate data and the publisher of Banker & Tradesman and other journals. Additional information is available at TheWarrenGroup.com.