GSA Daily Staff Report
Published May 11, 2010

Home sales in the Greenville market eclipsed the previous 12-month high during April, soaring to 678 homes on a rising tide generated by the end of the federal tax credits for home buyers that ended April 30.

In June 2009, the previous high-water mark, there were 673 homes sold. Monthly sales hit their 12-month low in January, with just 365 homes changing hands, but rose steadily to 372 in February, and 577 in March, as the tax credits began to take effect.

Real estate executives were optimistic that their industry has seen its worst days.

“The 14% increase in solds is very encouraging and my belief is that May's statistics will be equally encouraging,” said Nick Sabatine, CEO of the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors.

So far in 2010, there have been 2,057 homes sold, up 14% from the same period in 2009, when 1,804 homes were sold.

The 678 homes sold in April also topped by 33% the year-earlier figure, when 510 homes were sold in April 2009.

The median price of a home sold last month also rose from a year earlier, to $142,500 from $132,750 in April 2009.

But the time to sell a home rose slightly, to 103 days on the market from 100 days in April 2009. For comparison, it took just 86 days on average to sell a home in 2006.