Bay Area home sales shot up 28.8 percent in April compared to March, a sign that mortgages are easier to obtain and more buyers jumped into the market, DataQuick Information Systems said today.

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Brace for more bad news about the housing market to surface this week. DataQuick Information Systems is slated to release a report on Southern California foreclosure activity, and it's likely to show more homeowners facing financial hardship.

With lenders cautious, buyers reluctant and the government slow to help, Santa Clara County home sales hit new lows for February, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

With consumer confidence low and rates high for the types of mortgages Bay Area buyers typically use, fewer homes in the region sold last month than during any December in the past 20 years, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

Vote/comment: When will market improve? | Local home sales, more Just 750 existing detached houses were sold in November, down about 42 percent from November 2006, according to DataQuick Information Systems. That's the fewest sales for any month since February 1995.