Despite overall rise in prices, October market harsh

An economist and mortgage banker are predicting a continued creep up in housing prices, despite another tough month in the real estate industry.

Data from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. show the average home sales price in the Baltimore region ? Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, Baltimore City, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties ? posted an overall gain of 3.15 percent in October from October 2005, though the number of houses sold in the region fell 22.29 percent.