The median price for a single-family home ratcheted to a new high — $410,000, or $10,000 more than in January, and $60,000 more than in February 2003, according to a report released today by the Honolulu Board of Realtors.

The board said more single-family homes were resold last month than in any previous February. There were 293 single-family home resales last month, an 8.9 percent rise over 269 in February 2003, when the the previous record (248 sales in 1990) had been broken.

Condominium resales last month totaled 449, up 3.7 percent from 433 in the same month last year. The median price, which is a point where half the sales prices were higher and half lower, was $188,000 for condos, up $1,000 from January and $21,000 more than February 2003.

Harvey Shapiro, research economist for the board, said a record-low number of homes on the market helped drive the price increases. Last month there were 829 single-family homes and 1,187 condos for sale, the smallest inventory since the board began keeping records in 1986.

Still, Mary Begier, board president, said low mortgage rates continue to help buyers with moderate incomes afford homes despite the rising prices.

Begier said last year it took about 32 percent of a local median household income to purchase a median-priced home on O'ahu. In 1990, it took almost 60 percent of the median household income to purchase a median-priced home, because of higher financing costs.

Purchases for the first two months of the year totaled 635 single-family homes and 1,007 condos, increases of 16.1 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively, compared with last year.

Total year-to-date dollar volume was $575 million, 41.7 percent higher than the $406 million for the same period in 2003.