CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — Home sales in Citrus County are seeing a spike in this new year. 

Data from the Florida Realtors Report shows almost a 14% increase in the sale of single-family homes for the month of January compared to last year. A total of 222 sales were recorded for the month — which is up from 195 sales at the same time last year.

Local real estate agent Judy McCoy says it’s a recipe for real estate success.

And right now that recipe has proven to be in high-demand.

“We have more sellers with more homes out there, so we’ve had a big increase in the number of sales, but we still have homes for sale,” said McCoy, a real estate agent with Century 21 J.W. Morton.

In the previous few months, the real estate market was very different, she said.

“I think a lot of buyers, and we still see a little bit of this, were anxious," McCoy said. "You can’t blame anybody. They were very anxious about what was happening in the economy, where was it going to go, and it was very slow in November and December.”

With the number of homes for sale increasing, so too did the number of buyers. But Mccoy said times like these don’t typically last for long.

“We do anticipate seeing a decrease in the interest rates. The thing about that though, for buyers to know, is that when interest rates go down, prices normally go up," she said. "As I mentioned before, what you might want to do to get the best of both worlds, is right now the prices are really good. Very good prices. You won’t see prices like this again.”

And for those currently in the market to buy, McCoy has a few helpful tips.

“Be well defined, get professional help — you’ll be glad you did — and the third thing about buying a house is an investment value," she says. "I don’t think Florida real estate is going to go anywhere but up and up and up.”