Some good housing news: Sales go up

Lately I’ve felt a bit like a broken record. Every post seems to include some bad news regarding the residential real estate market.

Well, here’s a change: Today, I bring good news. Sales of existing homes actually increased in July, reaching their highest level in five months, according to the National Association of Realtors.  Of course, the housing market being what it is, the news isn’t all good. The sales numbers are still far below what they were last year at this time.

The sales of existing homes — which includes single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums — jumped 3.1 percent in July. Sales, though, were down 13.2 percent than in July of last year.

So there you have it, some good news, depending on how you look at it.