In June, the median home price for Ventura County was $627,000, not far below the record high of $630,000 in December 2005, according to the monthly report from DataQuick Information Systems' released Tuesday.

With a 30-year fixed loan with 10 percent down, someone buying a $627,000 home at today's mortgage rates would pay more each month than someone who bought a $630,000 home in December. A recent purchase at the median price would require monthly mortgage payment of $3,656.29, up $161.48 from the median sales price six months earlier.

The report also shows few sales, and Randy Long, Realtor with Troop Real Estate's Camarillo office, said home buyers have more clout with sellers as home sit on the market longer.

"Certainly the buyers are in a better position than a year ago as far as negotiating with the seller," Long said. "Unfortunately, they're not in a better position when it comes to negotiation with a lender."

Southern California appears to be leveling out after years of double-digit growth, according to the DataQuick statistics. The median price for all home types in Southern California was $493,000 during June, with Ventura County the second highest behind Orange County with a median price of $646,000.

San Diego had the first reversal in June when the median home prices dipped below where they were a year ago, DataQuick President Marshall Prentice noted in a statement.

"We view this as the normal winding down of a real estate cycle, where declining demand gradually erodes price growth until it halts or reverses," he said. "We expect more markets to see prices flatten or decline a bit in the second half of this year."

Ventura County's high June numbers may just be a natural variation in the adjustment toward a more regular real estate market, said Andrew LaPage, DataQuick analyst.

In Ventura County over the past several months, home prices have appeared to come down.

In January, the median home price was $608,000. By May, it was $586,000, only 3 percent more than a year before. June's median price was up 7.4 percent from June 2004.

Even with a higher median home price for the month of June, home sales in Ventura County rose to 1,155 from 1,078 in May.

Because Ventura County has a relatively small number of home sales each month, its median home price can be influenced in a single month depending on the kinds of homes that sell, he said. The median is the point at which half the sales prices are higher and half are lower.

Long said it is hard to say just which way the market will turn in the coming months.

"What's going to happen? I don't have my crystal ball," he said.

Viola Tovias, Countrywide home loan consultant based in Ventura, said people will continue to buy as long as there is a desire to own a home. She said buyers are seeking more security in how they finance a home as rates rise. Even for loans that have a period where payments are interest only, some banks are offering a fixed rate as opposed to an adjustable after just a few years.

Speaking from 30 years of experience, Tovias said people continue to put gas in their cars even as prices rise. The same is true for homes even as rates rise.

"If a person has a need to buy a home, they will buy it," she said.