Buyer interest remains high and many good values exist for those whose holiday wish list includes a new home, according to brokers with Northwest Multiple Listing Service. A new report from the MLS summarizing November activity shows year-over-year gains in pending sales, closed sales and median prices.

The report encompasses 21 counties, mostly in Western Washington.

“During the holidays we usually see a drop in home buyers, but this year they’re remaining engaged later than usual. Both showings and offers are still going strong,” reported OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate.

He said recent purchasers include people relocating to Seattle as well as international buyers “who aren’t showing any signs of slowing.”

Attractive financing is luring both first-time and move-up buyers.

“The holiday season is in full swing and the most special gift this year is that interest rates have dropped down to touch the upper 3 percent range. Interest rates at this low level are considered unbelievable,” said J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate.

Northwest MLS figures show pending sales (mutually accepted offers) for November jumped nearly 3 percent from twelve months ago, rising from 6,624 pendings to 6,821.

For the four Puget Sound region counties (King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish) the total of 5,220 pending sales marked the highest level for November since 2006 when these counties reported 5,292 sales.

The median price for homes and condos that sold during November in the Northwest MLS service area was $289,000. That reflects an increase of more than 6.6 percent from the year-ago sales price of $271,061. Ten counties experienced double-digit gains, while two had price drops compared to the same month a year ago.

In King County, prices rose 5.2 percent, from $379,202 to $399,000. Nearby counties had sharper increases, led by Kitsap at nearly 11.4 percent. In Pierce County, prices jumped 10.7 percent while in Snohomish County the year-over-year gain was nearly 9 percent.