Longview home sales take big monthly dip in July, remain up for year

​LONGVIEW – Area home sales fell more than 20 percent in July 2016 from year-ago levels, the biggest monthly decline since April 2014.

The July 2016 drop comes after months of steady gains that saw sales increase about 12 percent through the first half of 2016, defying low crude prices and rising unemployment.

According to data from the Longview Area Association of Realtors​, 233 homes were sold across the association’s ten-county region last month, down from 298 homes in July 2015. 

Within the City of Longview, the Realtors Multiple Listing Service showed 62 homes were sold, down more than 27 percent from 83 sold in the city a year ago.

Both area and Longview-only sales also were down from a month ago.

The declines came even as the number of homes on the market increased, association data showed.