Los Angeles, Aug 19 (Xinhua) The Los Angeles area saw a 22.6 percent rise in home sales in July, compared to the same month a year ago, a real estate information service has reported.

The rise came as prices fell by 19.8 percent in the same period, the Los Angeles-based MDA DataQuick said.

A total of 8,082 homes sold in July, up from 6,592 for July 2008, while the median price of a home in Los Angeles County last month was $321,000, down from $400,000 in the same month a year ago, according to DataQuick.

In neighbouring Orange County, the median home price was $420,000, down 8.9 percent from the July 2008 median of $461,000. A total of 3,128 homes were sold in the county last month, up 11.8 percent from the 2,799 home sales in July 2008, DataQuick said.

According to DataQuick, 24,104 homes were sold in the six-county southern California region in July, an 18.6 percent jump from 20,329 in July 2008. Last month's sales were the most for any month since December 2006.