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

DATE: TUESDAY, September 7, 1993                   TAG: 9309030412
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

HOME SALES

The Roanoke Valley Board of Realtors reported sales of 379 houses in August. That was off 14.6 percent from 444 a year ago and down 5.9 percent from 403 in July.

For the year, however, real estate agents have sold 3,012 houses, which is 10.4 percent higher than 2,729 for the first eight months of 1992.

Median price of a new home was $85,000 in August, down from the figures earlier this summer. That suggests more first-time home buyers entered the market.

The average house was on the market 93 days before selling.

Other statistics added this week to the Roanoke Valley Economic Indicators show:

The number of bankruptcies surged 122 percent from 18 last year to 40 last month. It was up 11 percent from 36 in July.

The number of new business licenses fell 9.8 percent from last year and 19.5 percent from July.