Single-family home sales in the Austin and Round Rock region slowed in February, but sales continued to rise in Cedar Park and Leander, according to real estate data released today by the Austin Board of Realtors.

The data indicates that the Central Texas housing market is beginning to normalize to more stable market conditions, according to the release.

Home sales in February in the Austin and Round Rock area increased by 0.9 percent compared to February 2016. According to the release, home sales “were essentially flat in February 2017.”

“The Central Texas housing market is just now beginning to catch up to itself after years of unprecedented sales growth,” ABoR President Brandy Guthrie said in a statement. “It’s important to remember that current figures are being compared to very strong housing market activity in 2016, so a decline in home sales growth does not automatically mean that the market is softening.”

While single-family home sales declined in many cities surrounding Austin, Cedar Park and Leander were exceptions to that trend. Cedar Park sales increased by 20.7 percent compared to last February, and Leander increased by 8.8 percent year-over-year.

The median combined home price in the cities rose 3.1 percent to $291,775, according to the data.

The median price for single-family homes in the five-county Austin and Round Rock region rose 6.5 percent to $287,000 in February. During the same timeframe, the monthly housing inventory increased 0.1 months to 2.1 months.

Mark Sprague, the state director of information capital for Independence Title, said the Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to raise U.S. interest rates could dissuade some local from listing their homes from buying a home.

“Even with this increase, however, there’s still no better time to buy than now,” he said in a statement. “Interest rates are likely only to increase over the next few years. Central Texans will not be able to buy a home for as low of a price and as low of an interest rate as they can today.”