The Des Moines Area Association of Realtors reported that 530 contracts to purchase homes were written in January, and that there were 5,086 active listings.

That compares to 554 contracts written in January 2010, but is up from 378 written in December. The median sale price of a home in Des Moines was $141,000, up more than $13,000 from January 2010 and down $6,500 from December.

“This is a great sign of things to come and is a good indication that home buyers are confident about the stability of our real estate market,” said Les Sulgrove, president of the association, in a press release.