According to the California Association of Realtors, distressed home sales are down in April again.

The California Association of Realtors www.car.org (CAR) reports that the total share of all distressed property types sold statewide declined to 48 percent last month. That’s down from 51 percent in March and 49 percent in April 2010.

The total share of  BANK OWNED REO sales was 28 percent in April, compared to 31 percent in March and 30 percent in April 2010. The statewide share of short sales also dropped in April to 19 percent, down from 20 percent in March but unchanged from April 2010.

Sales of non-distressed properties increased during April. The buyers were not only  bargain hunters and investors, but also homebuyers who are timing their buying decisions to coincide with the start of the spring home-buying season.

Non-distressed properties made up 52 percent of the total sales volume in April, up from 49 percent in March and 51 percent in April 2010.

Pending home sales – a precursor of sales to come in the months ahead – declined between March and April, according to CAR’s index which is generated from a survey of more than 70 associations of Realtors and multiple listing services (MLSs) throughout the state.

The index registered a reading of 114.3 based on contracts signed in April, down 11 percent from March’s revised index of 128.4. The index was down 19.2 percent from April 2010 when housing tax credits contributed to home sales.

CAR, headquartered in Los Angeles, is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with more than 160,000 members.