Real estate sales in our area were higher than last year for the third month in a row.

The St. Joseph Regional Association of Realtors says home sales in July totaled $20.1 million, which is down slightly from June, but the total is nearly 10% higher than the totals from July of last year.

So far this year, realtors in the nine-county area have sold 842 homes, an increase of 5.65%. The year-to-date sales total is $108.7 million, up more than 9%.