REAL ESTATE

Home Sales Rise, Prices Fall in January: Sales of new and existing homes in Southern California reached 13,072 homes, a 15.6% rise from the same month last year, according to Dataquick Information Systems. The La Jolla-based real estate research service said the results benefited from a comparison to a weak January last year, when stormy weather depressed sales. But low interest rates on home loans this year have helped boost sales, particularly of lower-priced homes, Dataquick said. While sales climbed, the median sales price in January declined 1.3% from a year ago to $157,000.