If you're waiting until the real estate bubble bursts before buying a home, you may have to wait a little longer.

NewsCenter 5's Jorge Quiroga reported that the demand for area housing is so high that 2004 is on track to be a record-breaking year for home sales in Massachusetts.

Despite a slight slow down, realtors anticipate another banner year and said that sales will be up in nearly every corner of the state.


"It is exciting. We are experiencing this record growth and record amount of sales, and hopefully, we will continue to see that," Coldwell Banker realtor Dan Robertson said.

It may be hard to match July to September numbers in which statewide home and condo sales soared to the highest level ever for one quarter. Central Massachusetts saw double-digit gains in both markets.

"Interest rates remain low. There always seems to be an influx of first-time home buyers in the market, especially in this region," Robertson said.

2004 may be the best year ever, beating last year's all-time record high.

"It's been a tremendous year at a terrific sales pace. These numbers really reflect the confidence in the housing market," Massachusetts Association of Realtors spokeswoman Judy Moore said.

In Worcester County, realtors pointed to communities like Grafton, Mass., where you can get more house for the money with a quaint New England town center. It is an hour commute to Boston, but for homebuyers it offers something the city can't match.

"I think as long as there is land to be built on, then we are going to keep building on it and sell houses for people who can't afford them toward Boston. They will have a place to live out here," Coldwell Banker realtor Deborah McMullin said.

Experts said that cheap interest rates are helping to fuel the demand for housing

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