AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Home sales in Maine were about the same in July as they were during the previous month a year ago, while prices ticked up slightly.

The news was enough for the Maine Association of Realtors to describe single-family home sales in the state as “stable and positive” on Wednesday. The organization says the homes sold in July had a median sales price of $230,000, which was an increase of more than 2% from July 2018.

Realtors association president Peter Harrington says the inventory of for-sale homes has increased a bit, but “competition for entry-level homes remains high.”

The nationwide median sales price increased 4.5% to $284,000. However, sales were down in the Northeastern states, and the median sales price fell 1% to $305,800.