
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 6, 1990                   TAG: 9005070366
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: D7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

APRIL HOME SALES OFF

April home sales in the Roanoke Valley were down 32 percent from March sales and 22 percent from April of 1989.

Frances Bridge, spokesman for the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors' Multiple Listing Service, attributed the drop to an increase in mortgage rates over the past three weeks.

People are watching the rates and waiting for them to drop before they buy, Bridge said.

Most homes sold were in the under-$100,000 category. Of the 236 sales, 190 were under $100,000, 43 were in the $100,000 to $200,000 category and three were more than $200,000.

Recent months' sales have been healthiest in the lower-cost homes. The median price home for April was $74,900, down from $77,500 in March. Total sales volume for April was $18,877,141.

The MLS figures reflect sales under contract but not completed and include only those handled by members of the association.

by CNB