The Des Moines metropolitan area was one of 28 areas nationwide to see its median home sale prices climb in the third quarter, squeaking 1 percent higher to $155,400, a National Association of Realtors report showed on Tuesday.

Median sale prices fell in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs-Omaha, Davenport, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls. In all, 120 metro areas nationwide saw price declines. Four had no change.

The report also showed that sales of Iowa's existing homes for the third quarter fell 16 percent, more than double the national decline.

Iowa's sharp sales drop has some real estate leaders wondering whether the Iowa housing market has hit bottom.

"We're at a turning point in a number of markets," said Paul Bishop, the association's research managing director. "There are a lot of uncertainties in the economy, but it looks like we could be along the bottom."

Nationwide, home sales fell 7.7 percent to 5.04 million, with declines in 32 states.

U.S. sales were helped by bargain hunters in Arizona, California and Nevada, where sales increased 76 percent compared with a year ago.

"Prices are drawing people into these areas and that's causing sales in some of the most distressed markets to increase," Bishop said.

The third-quarter median sale price for the Western states fell 21 percent to $266,300.

"It makes Iowa and other states look like they're performing relatively worse," Bishop said.

The association said 35 to 40 percent of U.S. sales in the third quarter were "distressed," such as foreclosures. The national median sale price tumbled 9 percent to $200,500, the group said.

Iowa's third-quarter sales of 58,400 match 2003's third-quarter sales, the bottom of a long run-up in sales that would become the housing boom.

Sales increased 13 percent from 51,600 in Iowa's flood-affected second quarter.

Not everyone is convinced Iowa's housing market has hit bottom.

"There's still a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace," said Arthur Cox, director of the University of Northern Iowa's real estate program. "The stock market continues to be quite volatile.

"We don't know what the government is going to do and whether it will work," he said.

Bishop agreed that the economy will determine whether homebuyers return. "The biggest wild card is consumer confidence."

"If the country slides into a prolonged recession, that affects big-ticket purchases," Bishop said. "A lot of factors play into not only whether consumers want to buy a home, but their ability to buy a home."

Terry Knapp, president of the Iowa Realtors Association, said he believes lower energy prices, better access to loans, resolution on foreclosures and lower interest rates will bring buyers back into the market.

"Lenders are getting more aggressive. People are out there trying to make loans and that gives families more options," said Knapp, a Harlan resident.