A.V. HOMES SELLING; PALMDALE, LANCASTER RESALE PRICES CLIMB IN JULY : ANTELOPE VALLEY HOME RESALE PRICES.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Home sales are up in the Antelope Valley, and both Palmdale and Lancaster showed gains in their median resale prices in July, according to a report released by the California Association of Realtors.

Statewide, there were 561,190 sales in July, up 6.8 percent from June's figures and up 11.2 percent from July 1996. There was an 18.7 percent increase in sales activity in July compared with July 1996 in the association's High Desert area.

``It's very active. There's a lot of buyers out there,'' said Dennis McCollam, president of the Antelope Valley Board of Realtors. ``There's confidence in the economy. There's low interest rates still. People who had been holding out are deciding it's time to get into a home.''

Lancaster's median home price rose slightly from $80,000 in July 1996 to $80,250 this July. The price is also up from June's median of $78,250.

Palmdale's median home sale price dropped from $87,500 in July 1996 to $85,000 this July. Its median prices, however, are up dramatically from June, when the median was $80,000.

McCollam anticipates a ``very, very small increase'' in home price appreciation in the short term because of the number of foreclosed homes on the market. He said he sees prices going up next year.

Statewide, median home prices climbed to $192,814 in July, a 5.7 percent increase from the same period in 1996 and the sharpest annual gain since the 6.6 percent increase in January 1990.

``It appears that the recovery in California home prices is enveloping virtually the entire state,'' said Bob Kulick, CAR president. ``While there may still be weak spots in some areas, the overall direction points toward a regional broadening of positive home price trends. We are confident that if the current national economic environment continues to support favorable interest rates, home prices will continue to rise even further in California.''

The five California cities with the highest median home prices during July were Atherton, $1.44 million; Hillsborough, $1.36 million; Monte Sereno, $1.3 million; Los Altos, $675,000; and Woodside, $662,500.

The five California cities with the largest annual increase in their median home price during July were Laguna Hills, 96.4 percent; Atherton, 83.1 percent; Studio City, 49.4 percent; Monte Sereno, 46.7 percent; and Dana Point, 46 percent.

``It's important to note that almost two-thirds of the state's cities and communities have experienced annual increases in their respective median home price, according to the local statistics collected by CAR and Transamerica Intellitech,'' said Leslie Appleton-Young, CAR's vice president and chief economist.

``Furthermore, evidence of strengthening home prices in much of the San Fernando Valley coupled with sharp annual increases in the median home price in most south Orange County communities point to the housing recovery in Southern California.''

City July 1997 June 1997 July 1996 % change from June 1997

Lancaster $80,250 $78,250 $80,000 2.6%

Palmdale $85,000 $80,000 $87,500 6.3%

SOURCE: California Association of Realtors

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Chart: ANTELOPE VALLEY HOME RESALE PRICES