Multiple Listing Service of Long Island (MLSLI) reported today that, in Suffolk County, 698 residential properties were sold last month, up from 632 in February. Pending home sales, meanwhile, soared from 896 in February to 1,101 in March. Last month’s pending sales were 12.6% higher than they were 12 months ago, when there were 978 pending sales.

These pushed up sales prices, with the median sales price in Suffolk being $305,000, compared to $297,750 the previous month and $292,500 in March 2012. Pending home sales also increased from $310,000 in February to $317,500 in March. Last month’s figure was also higher than March 2012’s figure of $300,350.

In Nassau County, MLSLI reported, 639 residential properties sold in March, an increase from February’s figure of 599. Pending sales rose from 851 two months ago to 1,033 last month. That is also a significant improvement over March 2012, when 936 sales were in contract. But while the median sales price dipped last month from $380,000 to $379,000, it was still higher than it was 12 months ago at $365,000. The median price for residential properties in contract also grew to $399,000, compared to $389,000 last month and $387,200 the previous 12 months.

Many homebuyers were foreseeing good economic news that month. The New York State Department of Labor reported that, during the first two months of 2013, the job growth rate outpaced New York State’s overall rate. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Nassau and Suffolk fell to 7.2% and 8.0%, respectively; both numbers are lower than the state’s jobless rate of 8.8%.

In February, Long Island added 20,000 jobs to the payroll — a 2.0% increase, according to the NYS DOL. That outpaced both New York State’s (1.1%) and the United States’ (1.9%). March’s statistics have yet to be released.