ST. JOSEPH — June started our peak selling period with a 10-percent increase in houses sold and closed over May. However like May, June closed sales did not carry the surge we experienced from February until April that was a result of the stimulus tax credit.

June closed sales were 10 percent lower than in June of 2009.

Since buyers had until June 30 to close sales, this may indicate that pending sales did not get closed or that buyers did not take advantage of the tax credit.

Congress passed an extension of the homebuyer tax credit closing deadline to Sept. 30, 2010, “so we will have to see if the extension will have any effect,” stated Gary Walter, EVP, of the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors Inc.

The number of houses sold and closed dropped 10 percent (225 vs. 251) in June this year compared to June 2009.

Year-to-date, the number of houses sold was up 8 percent. The total dollar volume for June slipped 11 percent below the June 2009 figure ($37,165,723 vs. $41,956,121).

Year-to-date dollar volume was up 12 percent. The average selling price dipped 1 percent below last year at $165,181 vs. $167,156. Higher sales in February through April this year kept the year-to-date average selling price up 5 percent ($141,757 vs. $136,402).

The median selling price increased 5 percent in June ($115,000 vs. 109,950).

The year-to-date median price was up 14 percent over that in 2009.

The median price is the price at which 50 percent of the homes sold were above that price and 50 percent were below.