U.S. house prices rose in the third quarter, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Its index of house-purchase prices rose a seasonally-adjusted 0.2 percent compared to the second quarter of 2011.
In the Macon metro area, the house-price index rose .84 percent in the quarter, using a somewhat-different measure that also includes refinancings.
The Macon metro area includes Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Monroe and Twiggs counties.
For the year ending September 30, the Macon house-price index dropped 7.71 percent. The index in the Warner Robins area, which covers Houston County, dropped about half as much: 3.86 percent. The Houston County index for the third quarter was not made available.
In the last five years, the Macon area's house-price index has dropped 9.9 percent. In Houston County it was down 4.1 percent.
By comparison, Atlanta's home-price index plunged 28.09 percent in the last five years. The Atlanta metro area also includes Sandy Springs and Marietta.
"In most regions of the country, third-quarter home values were relatively stable, even in some areas that experienced sharp price declines in preceding quarters," said FHFA Principal Economist Andrew Leventis in a news release.