Sales of existing homes in Chicago area dropped again in September, falling more than 20 percent from a year ago and more than 25 percent within the city of Chicago, the Illinois Association of Realtors said Monday. It was the third consecutive month that home sales failed to beat their year-ago comparisons in Chicago. 'It's clear the housing market benefited from the tax credit through the first half of the year and now we are feeling the withdrawal symptoms in the form of slower sales. Still this extraordinary buyer opportunity should continue as mortgage rates remain in rock-bottom territory as they were just last week averaging 4.19 percent for our region,' said Shery Grider Whitehurst, president of the Illinois Association of REALTORS. 'Bottom line, home sales will struggle until jobs return to the economy, consumer confidence improves and foreclosures work their way through the system,' he added. The monthly average commitment rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for the North Central region was a record low 4.34 percent in September 2010, down from 4.43 percent during the previous month, according to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Last year in September it averaged 5.06 percent. In the U.S., sales of previously occupied homes grew 10 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.53 million, still down 19 percent from the same month a year earlier. August' s results were revised downward slightly. Single-family and condominium sales in Chicago area totaled 5, 327 homes sold in September, a 22.4 percent drop from September 2009. Double-digit declines were recorded in home prices, too, with the median home price falling 12.1 percent from September 2009, to 175,000 U.S. dollars. Within the city of Chicago, home sales totaled 1,403 homes sold, a 26.9 percent drop from September 2009. The city's median price in September of 180,000 dollars was down 20 percent from last year. Sales for the first nine months of the year were 10.5 percent above the same period in 2009 for the Chicago area and up 11.1 percent for Chicago. Sales of Chicago condos tumbled 28.6 percent during the month, with a year-over- year sales decrease of 24.3 percent for single- family homes within the city. The median price of 240,000 dollars for a condo was down 11.5 percent from September 2009, while the median price for a single-family home fell 10 percent, to 135,000 dollars. 