REAL ESTATE: Housing inventory is sparse on Whidbey Island, and sales prices are accordingly high, to judge from February Multiple Listing Service figures released March 7. The island had a total of 309 active residential listings in February, compared with 468 the same month last year. It had 140 new listings, versus 153 in February 2015. Despite scarcity, the average selling price of local houses climbed only slightly year over year, to $313,909 from $299,645. The median selling price also climbed slightly, to $272,000 from $264,000. Average listing prices in February were up year over year, climbing to $551,103 from $522,103. Median listing prices were $399,900 and $385,000, respectively.