Bay Area home sales are continuing to rise, with the median sale price the highest it has been in nearly four years, according to a real estate report released Wednesday.

In the nine-county Bay Area, 8,461 homes were sold last month -- a 22.9 percent increase from the same time last year, according to a report by the real estate information service DataQuick.

The average figure for July, based on data recorded since 1988, is 9,371 home sales. The median price for a new home or condo was $421,000, which is a 1 percent increase from $417,000 in June and a 12.6 percent jump from July 2011.

July's median price was the highest recorded since it was $447,000 in August 2008.

The increase appears to be connected to a higher share of sales in the mid-to-upper price ranges, according to DataQuick.

Median sale prices in Contra Costa County and the San Ramon Valley all increased in the past year with Alamo seeing the biggest price increase at a 18.27 percent jump to $1.165 million.

Over 100 homes were sold in Danville during June, with the average price increasing 3.30 percent to $860,000. In San Ramon, 137 houses were sold at a 2.82 price increase to $637,500. The average price of a home in the county rose 16.67 percent to $315,000.

The highest home prices in the region this summer are in San Francisco with $714,000 listed as the median cost, while the lowest can be found in Solano County at $188,000.

— Bay City News Service

Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.