Home sales in Miami set a new record for the month of September.

Homes sales in Miami reached a five-year high for the month of September, increasing 15.1 percent from last year to 8,546 transactions, according to DataQuick statistics cited in a HousingWire article.

The sales data is the highest level for a September since 2006, when 11,892 homes were sold.

Monthly sales data was actually down, though the decrease was expected. From August to September, home sales declined by 11.3 percent from 9,638. Typically, sales decline in September, as families close on properties before their children begin school (and, in addition, the summer months are traditional buying months for homes).

“On average, sales have fallen 9.5% between August and September since 1997, when DataQuick’s complete Miami-area statistics begin,” the HousingWire report stated.

Sale prices were down, but only slightly. The $130,000 median in September 2011 was just 1.5 percent lower than September 2010 and a relatively minor decline, given how prices have dropped since 2007. Overall, median price is down 55.2 percent from the June 2007 peak.