Home sales decline, but ...

As the prime spring home-buying season came to a close, Charleston's real estate market began to show some encouraging signs.

Homes sold throughout the region totaled 732 in June, a 12 percent drop from the same month last year, according to newly released data from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors.

That's the second month in a row where the year-over-year sales decline has eased, following months of plunges of 20 percent or more.

For the entire spring sales season, sales were off roughly 20 percent from last year and more than 40 percent compared to 2007, according to the association's historical data.

Real estate industry experts credited the federal government's $8,000 first-time home-buyer credit for slowing the fall off in sales.

They also noted that more sellers have readjusted the expectations of what their home is worth in the slowing market, which has brought prices down considerably.

The median price of homes sold in June was at $192,626, a slight rise over May's price but far less than the $209,855 recorded in June 2008, the association figures show.

The College of Charleston Home Value Index, which tracks the value of a home's features over time, estimates that home values edged up 2.5 percent last month.