The median price of a home sold in January was $396,900, up 4.8% from the year before and the highest price ever for the month of January.

Maine home buyers paid a median of $385,000 in January, a 9% increase over the same time last year, according to data released Friday by the Maine Association of Realtors. The median is the price at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less.

Home buyers and sellers had a tough winter, new data confirm. Mortgage applications in the coming weeks will tell if the freeze carries into the spring. Previously owned homes were sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.