Aug 17, 2014 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – Washington County saw its overall home sales rise in July by 27 units compared to a year ago, according to the latest review by Pittsburgh-based RealStats.

While total unit sales moved from 203 in July 2013 to 230 this year, the average price of a home in the county fell from $187,021 last July to $166,848 last month. Total dollar volume for all home sales rose to $44,746,337 last month, up from $40,087,525 a year ago.

The biggest jump in the county was in new home sales, where total dollar volume nearly doubled from last July, moving from $5,301,641 a year ago to $10,208,893 last month.

Realtors also sold six more new homes last month than they did a year ago, moving from 17 units in July 2013 to 23 last month.

The average price for a new home in Washington County also jumped, moving from $311,861 in July 2013 to $443,865 last month.

RealStats tracks sales of new and existing homes, townhomes and condos with a price of at least $10,000 in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

With one business day more this year than last, the region logged 56 more existing home sales last month with 2,952 homes sold. July’s median price of an existing home rose to $140,000 from $138,650 in July 2013.

Two counties saw existing home median price gains – Butler, from $188,450 to $212,250 and Westmoreland, from $124,900 to $126,450. Allegheny County’s existing median home price remained unchanged at $139,900 while Beaver County’s fell from $109,000 to $100,000 and Washington County’s fell from $158,250 to $145,000.

Total dollars spent on existing homes climbed 4 percent from July 2013 to July 2014 to $527.5 billion compared to $507.3 billion. The number of existing homes sold fell by 36 in Beaver County and one in Westmoreland, but rose by 21 in Washington, 48 in Butler and 24 in Allegheny County.

According to RealStats, the number of new homes sold across the five counties in July dropped by two compared to July 2013 as builders closed on 185 new homes last month signaling a continuation of a soft housing market across the metropolitan Pittsburgh region.

Beaver County was down six units compared to July 2013, Allegheny County down three and Westmoreland down 1. New home sales were up six in Washington County and two in Butler.

Total dollars spent on new homes clocked in at nearly $68 million for the month up from $65.8 million a year ago, demonstrating a rise in the cost of a new home. Last year’s average new home price stood at $351,923. That figure climbed to $367,540 last month, an increase of 4.4 percent.

NVR Inc, the region’s leading homebuilder in unit sales, sold 22 more homes last month than one year ago, closing on 100 units. Number two Maronda Homes closed on one less home last month with 24. S & A Homes remained at number three with seven homes sold. Dan Ryan Builders took the number four position with five homes sold, up one from last year.