Builders started more houses and Realtors sold more homes in July than in the past several months, and the numbers were somewhat of an improvement over the same period a year ago.

“You can tell from the Realtors who walk in the office,” said Dean Barbour, the county's chief building inspector. “More houses are off the market; builders are coming in that we haven't seen in a while, and they're bringing in plans.”

Last month, about 380 pieces of property changed hands in Johnston County, according to a survey of deed transactions. That's a 45-percent increase over March, when national housing prices were near their lowest in more than a decade. The Johnston numbers are also a slim improvement over last July.

Bernard Helm, a market analyst who follows housing in the Triangle, said the annual spring housing surge explained most of the improvement.

“It's a better-than-normal seasonal up-tick, which is good, but in relation to last year, it's still weak,” Helm said. The Raleigh market seemed close to “a bottom” — but not necessarily “the bottom,” Helm added. “The people I talk with are pretty much of the opinion that we are on the shelf of a ledge and that we still have a ways down to go,” he said.

Some Realtors and homebuyers say federal housing rebates and residential bargains are behind the fledgling gains.

“There were so many good deals. We just wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity,” said Greg Davis, whose family moved from McGee's Crossroads to a larger house in Benson in July. “I think we got a very big deal.”

Davis's house at McGee's Crossroads was on the market for nearly a year before it sold. A $25,000 price cut and the warming market finally closed the deal on July 1.

In the weeks before the sale, Davis had to print more fliers to keep pace with growing interest in the house, and he saw more cars drive by. At the same time, he saw more homes snapped off the market.

“We had two, three, four houses that we were looking at, and all of a sudden, one of them sold, then another one,” said Davis, who works at BN Printing in Benson.

Jan Jernigan, a local managing broker with Coldwell Banker, said the last three months had brought a boost in sales. “I don't think the real estate market is on the rebound by any sense of the word, but I think it has improved,” she said, adding that her business was significantly better this summer than last.

Johnston County's market seems strong compared to nearby locales, Jernigan said. “We're selling almost as much as our office in Cary,” she said.

Starter homes

For John Robert Stephenson, a local homebuilder, increased demand for cheaper homes has fueled business for the past two years.

“All I'm building are lower-end houses or starter houses,” said Stephenson, owner of J.R. Stephenson Homes Inc. “We've been having a pretty good year.”

He said that demand this year has been a little weaker than last year — but last year was the best of his ten years in the business. The $8,000 first-time homebuyer's tax credit has sparked more interest in the past few months, he added.

“I think things are picking up,” Stephenson said.

In general, builders have been putting up more new houses than in months past. The county inspections office issued 56 new-home permits in July, compared to 22 in March and 40 last July. The value of the new construction topped $8 million, a 131 percent increase over the total value of new homes built in March. But the average price per house in July was $148,000, down from $164,000 in March.

Rose Hammond, a Johnston County real-estate agent, said she had sold more starter homes and foreclosed properties lately. “It's not picking up dramatically, but I am seeing more people asking about buying houses new,” she said.

Helm, the analyst, said that only homes cheaper than $120,000 have been selling better this year than last in the Triangle. And even a slight improvement over last July doesn't mean much, Helm said, considering how far the market had already fallen a year ago.

Still, Jernigan said opportunities abound. “It's a very good time for investors and anyone that has good credit,” she said. “It's still a buyer's market.”