Investors and vacation-home buyers staying away from resort property continued to depress sales and prices of previously owned residential real estate on the Big Island and Kaua'i last month.

Hawaii Information Service reported sales and median prices of single-family homes and condos on those two Neighbor Islands mostly were sharply lower in February compared with the same month last year.

The biggest decrease was for single-family homes on Kaua'i, where sales fell 62 percent to 10 last month from 26 a year earlier. The median price was $399,500, down 47 percent from $760,000 in the same period.

There also were only 10 condo sales last month on Kaua'i, down 38 percent from 16 a year earlier. The median price was $338,500, down 40 percent from $565,000.

On the Big Island, single-family home sales were down 17 percent to 85 last month from 102 a year earlier. The median price was $291,000, down 26 percent from $395,000.

Big Island condo sales were down 54 percent to 13 last month from 28 a year earlier. The median price was down 4 percent to $435,000 from $453,500.

Because the median is a point at which half the sales are for more and half for less, it is easily swayed by the mix of homes sold, especially in small markets with few sales. Fewer luxury home sales can depress the median, as can a greater preponderance of smaller homes.

Much of the drop in sales was concentrated in resort areas where, just a few years ago, investors and vacation-home buyers were snapping up property for lofty prices.

For example, all of the decline in Kaua'i's condo market involved units in two resort areas. Only three condos sold last month for a median $565,000 in the Hanalei region, which includes Princeville Resort, compared with seven a year earlier that sold for a median $799,000. There were no sales last month in the Koloa region that includes Po'ipu, compared with a year earlier when two condos sold for a median $664,500.

On the Big Island, several non-resort areas such as Puna, South Hilo and Ka'u had no change in the number of single-family homes last month compared with a year earlier.