Home sales in Cedar Park and Leander decreased 2.2 percent in September compared with the same time in 2016, according to the latest numbers released this week by the Austin Board of Realtors. Each month, the ABoR releases its Central Texas Housing Market Report to analyze housing trends in the Austin area. In addition to the decreased homes sales, median home prices in the Cedar Park and Leander area rose 2.2 percent year-over-year to $305,500. According to the news release, the number of single-family homes sold throughout most of the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties, declined by 4.3 percent in September compared with September 2016. The exception was Williamson County, which saw a 1 percent increase in the number of single-family homes sold compared to last year. Lawrence Yun, chief economist and senior vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors, said the steady depletion of housing inventory is resulting in a fast rise in home prices and affordability challenges. “The construction of single-family homes, as well as condominiums, needs to ramp up higher in order to fully satisfy housing demand and maintain housing affordability,” he said in the release. “Otherwise, job growth could stall and bring less dynamism to the local economy.” For more information on the September 2017 Central Texas Housing Market Report, go to ABoR.com/statssep17.