Home sales slid in 2010, but prices firm

<br><br> Existing home sales across the country finished down 3.9% in 2010 from a year ago as December sales continued the losing trend in the market, according to statistics from the Canadian Real Estate Association. However, prices for the year remained relatively firm with the average home selling for $339,030 last year, up 5% from 2009. The Ottawa-based group said December 2010 sales were down 14.4% compared with a year ago, empahsizing that in 2009 sales set a record for the month. <br><br>