WOODBRIDGE, Va. - In a story not many have heard in awhile, homes are selling within a matter of days or even hours on the market with multiple offers coming in above asking price.

It happened before the real estate bubble burst, but now some Prince William County (web | news) realtors say it's happening again.

For 36 years, the house at 4305 Hemingway Drive in Woodbridge has been Ronald Hall's home. "[I have] many, many life memories here," said Hall.

He has seen a lot in nearly four decades living there but wasn't sure he'd ever see this. His four-bedroom, two bath house sold after just 23 days on the market.

"That's beautiful, that's really beautiful -- not too many sold signs in this neighborhood I tell you that right now," said Hall.

Sources say sold signs are more plentiful in Prince William County than any other county in Virginia right now. The Virginia Association of Realtors says first-quarter sales are up 75 percent from the same time last year.

Woodbridge real estate agent Ellie Cutuli says many are foreclosures in a county that had 10,000 foreclosure filings last year.

"You can see we're selling more than double the homes we did last year," said Cutuli. "The banks are finding if priced a little less, just a little bit, they're more apt to get themselves into having one or two or three contracts to choose from."

Realtors say "coming soon" signs are now replaced with "going fast" -- sometimes multiple offers within a matter of two to three days. But there's a catch -- median home sale price statewide went down 14 percent from this time last year.

Jennifer Parresol is one of the first-time home buyers heading up the real estate market. "It was either look for something else to rent or buy -- my realtor said it was a really good time to buy," she said.

For $10 a month more than renting she bought a foreclosed home right next to Ronald Hall.

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