Report: Columbia housing sales jump 20% compared to a year ago

South Carolina’s real estate market continued its four-year-long churn to erase the devastating effects of the Great Recession in June, with homes sales rising in Columbia and across the state, a real estate sales group said Wednesday

Sales of homes, condominiums and villas in the Capital City area rose nearly 20 percent over sales one year ago, according to the South Carolina Realtors monthly report, released Wednesday.

Statewide, homesales were up 15 percent from a year ago as inventory levels continued to march toward what experts define as a normal market – 6 months of housing stock.

Inventory statewide fell 19.8 percent from a year ago to reach 6.9 months of housing stock, marking the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year declines, the report stated.

Statewide median prices were up modestly by 4.6 percent in June, but housing prices in the Columbia area were nearly unchanged, falling by 0.2 percent over a year ago, from $160,400 to $160,000 last month.

– By RODDIE BURRIS/RBURRI@2THESTATE.COM

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 3:01 PM.