Kirkland home prices in December showed unusual strength, rising 24.3 percent from last year, according to real estate tracker Redfin. The median home price for the last month of 2013 was $488,000. Contributing to the price boost was a 9.4 percent drop in total inventory from December 2012. Sales were down 12.8 percent with 102 homes sold. Homes sold 20.8 percent faster, spending an average of 19 days on the market.

For more information on go to Redfin’s real estate price tracker.