Orlando home sales fell for the fifth straight month in October as interest rates continued to climb to their highest point in more than two decades, according to a report released this week.

Sales fell 5% from 2,558 in September to 2,429 in October, according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, which looks at sales from Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties.

October’s interest rate was at 7.8%, an increase from 7.3% in September, and the highest in the Orlando area since April 2001, the report said.

Median home prices went up from $370,000 in September to $377,000 in October following three months of falling prices.

“Even as rates climb, demand is keeping home prices high, creating challenges for buyers this fall,” said Lisa Hill, Orlando Regional Realtor Association President, in a news release. “Early reports from November show rates falling, so we will have to wait and see if this offers buyers some reprieve.”

Jeremy Wood, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Heritage Realty in Altamonte Springs, said he has already seen rates dip in November.

He said he is working with a family looking for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that is benefiting from the lower rate.

They were holding off after previously being pre-approved for about $250,000 to $260,000, but the half percentage point dip in interest rates in early November plus assistance for closing costs from Florida’s Hometown Heroes program has now increased what they can buy to about $300,000 to $310,000, Wood said.

The Hometown Heroes is a state program for veterans, active-duty military, nurses, teachers and law enforcement buy their first homes by helping with down payment and closing costs.

Wood said there’s always demand for houses in Florida because of the people moving to the state.

“The biggest driving factor in the entire market is the low inventory in Florida,” he said. “People want to buy homes. They need to buy homes.”