2015 is shaping up to be one of the strongest years for home buyers, sellers

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors (GMAR) says 2014 saw some positives for the region's housing market.

"December was fantastic. It was one of the better months we've had in several years for December. And the second highlight is the market was really normal. It was back to normal for the first time in several years. We can all attest to the last seven years have been pretty difficult," said Mike Ruzicka, President of GMAR.

One big positive -- we're told the average sale price for a home went up in all four counties considered part of the greater Milwaukee area. Those include Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee Counties.

"We certainly hit bottom in 2011. '12 they started growing, '13 they grew substantially. And '14 at least these preliminary numbers suggest that they're going to continue to grow," said David Clark, professor of economics at Marquette University.

The actual dollar amount increase in the average sale price ranged from just over $2,000 in Ozaukee County up to about $8,000 more in Milwaukee County.

FOX6 News is told there were also positive signs that the market is returning to more traditional norms. That means less of an emphasis on distressed properties like foreclosed homes -- and a more normal makeup of first-time and move-up buyers and empty nesters looking to relocate.

"The normal year that we had in quotes, it's really because first-time buyers came back to a large degree," said Ruzicka.

So what could all of these things predict for 2015?

"I think 2015 is shaping up to be at least as strong as 2014 and probably stronger than 2014 probably stronger than 2013," said Clark.

There was one notable downside to the 2014 housing market. Even though sale prices saw gains, the actual number of sales dipped a couple of percentage points from 2013.

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