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The mid-Hudson real estate market remained soft on sales in April and proved fairly flat for prices.

Despite April being part of spring, when home sales often start to pick up seasonal strength, that has yet to show up in the statistics. Home sales in April declined in volume in both Dutchess and Ulster counties.

That may just be an effect of the long, tough winter that put a damper on activity, said Sandy Tambone, executive officer of the Mid-Hudson Multiple Listing Service, which reports Dutchess statistics.

There were 92 single-family free-standing homes sold in Dutchess, down 25.2 percent from a year earlier.

“This is probably the lack of sales generated during that real nasty winter that we had,” Tambone said. When a deal is made, it typically takes two months before it becomes a closed sale.

Early results for May are more encouraging, he said, notably in the number of deals made. While April 1 showed 124 accepted purchase offers, the May 1 count was 141.

In Ulster, 66 homes changed hands, down 10.8 percent from last year.

Prices were flat in Dutchess, with the median at $248,250, down less than a percent from April of 2010, the listing service said.

Ulster’s April median was $182,350, down 10 percent from a year earlier, the Ulster County Board of Realtors said.

In Dutchess, which separately reports attached homes, including town houses, condominiums and co-ops, those sales numbered 24, down from last April’s 31. The median sales price was $257,500, up 14.4 percent from a year earlier. However, the year-to-date median for the first four months of the year was down to $175,000, down 15 percent in a year.

The inventory of homes listed for sale stood at 1,913 in Dutchess, only 14 fewer than in April 2010. The average days on the market before sale was 167, which was up 36.9 percent.

In Ulster, the available listings totaled 1,514, eight fewer than a year ago.

Distressed market

Since the Great Recession, home sales have slumped in volume and price generally, placing many distressed properties on the market and helping pull down the average and median price statistics.