Chicago-area existing home sales jumped 34.7 percent during the second quarter, compared to a year ago. The median home price for the area dropped 2.5 percent from a year ago, to $196,000.

The Illinois Association of Realtors also reported Wednesday that the only Chicago-area county to report an increase in sales as well as the median price was Lake County, where sales rose 38.1 percent and the median price of $202,000 was a 3.6 percent gain over the comparable 2009 period. Get the full story »