A national real estate statistics firm is projecting average home sale prices in the Lake County, Ill./Kenosha County region will rise about 4.05 percent for the year ending August 2010.

National home price sales are expected to increase 4.6 percent, while Wisconsin would improve about 0.01 percent.

The firm, First American CoreLogic said, however, prices nationwide probably will continue to fall through March because the homebuyers’ federal income tax credit will expire and the number of mortgage foreclosures will continue to grow.

From the home price peak in 2006 to the lowest figure, expected in March, the drop could be 37 percent.

Spring sales activity could be the beginning of home prices heading up nationwide, said CoreLogic in a press release.

Lower-priced homes have sold more than expensive ones, leading CoreLogic to predict that part of the market will continue to do well, at least in the short term.

Home sale prices in the Lake County, Ill./Kenosha County region fell 10.83 percent in August compared to a year earlier. However, the decline was less than in June and July.

The smaller decline was from prices doing better since March 2009, although that might be tied to normal sales patterns during that time of year, CoreLogic said.

Mark Fleming, First American CoreLogic chief economist, said in the press release there are still a number of economic factors working against a sustainable turnaround in the housing sector.