Homes on the pricier end of the spectrum were more likely to sell in the second quarter of 2015, according to the real estate company Redfin. However, the value of properties in the United States luxury market typically grew much more slowly than the prices of other homes.

Nela Richardson, summarizing the findings for the Redfin Research Center, says the sales of homes priced at $1 million or more increased 14.2 percent from the second quarter of 2014. Among the homes in the top 5 percent of the price range, average prices increased only 0.6 percent from the previous quarter. During the same period, average prices on the remaining 95 percent of homes climbed by 4 percent.

In several markets, however, luxury home prices far outpaced those of less expensive properties. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, had the largest increase in average luxury home prices from the previous year at 42 percent. The average luxury home in this market cost $2.58 million. In the remaining 95 percent of the Palm Beach Gardens market, home prices went up 10 percent for an average sale price of $399,000.

Among the 10 markets with the biggest gains in luxury home prices, two outpaced the rest of the market by more than 20 percent. In Huntington Beach, California, an average luxury home cost $2.53 million and prices were up 27 percent from the previous year; in the rest of this market, prices averaged $693,000 with a year-over-year gain of only 2 percent. The general market in The Woodlands, Texas, had an average price of $439,000 with a 1 percent increase from the second quarter of 2014. By contrast, the luxury market had an average price of $2.23 million and a 23 percent gain in value from the previous year.

Reno, Nevada, had one of the most noticeable turnarounds. Luxury home prices increased 20 percent from the previous year to an average of $1.17 million, following a 3 percent year-over-year decline in the first quarter of 2015. In the remaining 95 percent of the market, prices averaged $279,000 and had risen 13 percent from the previous year.

Richardson says several of the markets where luxury home prices have had significant gains are popular areas for second homes, investors, and vacation destinations. They have also been areas where the local economy has experienced strong growth.

While a Florida metro area had the strongest growth in the luxury market in the second quarter, another community in the state had the largest decrease in prices. The average sale price for a luxury home in Fort Lauderdale was $2.38 million, 23 percent lower than the previous year. In the rest of the market, prices increased by 1 percent to an average of $361,000.

Santa Rosa, Calif., had the second most significant year-over-year decrease in luxury home prices at 14 percent. The average luxury home in this metro area sold for $1.35 million during the second quarter of the year. In the remaining 95 percent of the market, home prices rose 13 percent to with an average price of $508,000.

Richardson says the markets where luxury homes have had the most significant slump in prices tend to be in areas where the inventory of high-end homes has increased since the previous year. The wider selection of homes, along with the slower growth in luxury home prices, means buyers are more likely to wait for prices to go down before making an offer.

In the 138 cities included in the Redfin analysis, homes in the top 5 percent of the price spectrum sold for 2.5 times more than the homes in the remaining 95 percent of the market on average. Florida had the starkest differences between luxury homes and the rest of the market, with the nine most unequal metro areas all appearing in the southeastern coast of the city.

In Miami Beach, luxury homes had an average sale price of $6.59 million. This figure was 11.8 times larger than the average sales price in the rest of the market.

Other Florida metros with significant price differences between luxury homes and other homes included Delray Beach (10.2 times), Boca Raton (8.2 times), and West Palm Beach (7.3 times).