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In Fresno, home prices including distressed sales saw a nearly 4 percent jump in December 2015 compared to a year ago, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. Prices were also up 0.3 percent on a month-over-month basis.

In the Hanford-Corcoran region, home prices including distressed sales increased by 7.3 percent in December 2015 compared to the same month in 2014. Month-over-month, prices increased by 1.1 percent.

Madera Valley home prices including distressed sales jumped by nearly 10 percent in December 2015 compared to last year. Month-over-month, prices were up 5.6 percent.

In the Visalia-Porterville region, December 2015 home prices were up 9.2 percent compared to the year prior. On a month-over-month basis, prices fell 0.3 percent.

Valley home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, were up 6.3 percent in December 2015 compared to December 2014. Month-over-month, prices were also up nearly 1 percent in December 2015.

Prices are expected to keep rising. CoreLogic is forecasting that prices will increase by 5.4 percent on a year-over-year basis from December 2015 to December 2016.

Nationally, home prices have been rising at a 5 to 6 percent annual rate for more than a year,” said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. “However, local-market growth can vary substantially from that. Some metropolitan areas have had double-digit appreciation, such as Denver and Naples, Florida, while others have had price declines, like New Orleans and Rochester, New York.”