Longview-area home sales for the first half of 2010 took a robust 19 percent jump in the number of listings sold, while the total value of those homes sold was up more than 22 percent from a year ago.

Bud Summers said he has noticed a big improvement in the local home sales market since early this year. He credited at least part of the strength of the Longview-area market to improvements in the energy industry, low interest rates and an improving but stable regional economy as factors.

"Since about March, things have really improved," said Summers, broker for Summers Real Estate Group.

Home sales in the East Texas area jumped by nearly 20 percent in the first half of the year compared to 2009, according to figures provided by the Longview Area Board of Realtors.

In the area served by the board, there was a 19.3 percent spike in the number of listings sold in the January through June period. The dollar value of those homes rose 22.5 percent from the same period in 2009, according to board figures.

Real estate agents closed on the sale of 1,032 homes in the six-month period, up by 167 closings over the same time frame in 2009 when 865 home deals were completed, the board reported.

The value of those homes was $155.04 million, up by $28.46 million from the $126.57 million worth of home transactions in the first half of 2009.

The average price of a home sold in the Longview-area market was up $3,900 for the first half of the year, representing a 2.6 percent increase. The average price of homes sold in the area was $150,234, up from the $146,330 average a year ago.

The area covered by the Longview Realtors group covers much of Gregg County, along with many communities in surrounding counties.

The Commerce Department this past week reported new home sales nationally in recent months have been at "Depression era" levels. May and June figures released this past week indicated new homes sales nationally of slightly more than 300,000 units, down from a high in 2005 of more than 1.4 million sales.

Suzanne Cook, broker of Suzanne Cook & Co., said 2010 has seen much improvement for agents at her firm compared to 2009.

"It's definitely getting better, slowly, but it's getting better," Cook said last week. "The market's improving and sales are up — but there are a lot of challenges."

While there are more homes on the market locally, getting mortgages approved is taking more time than ever, Cook said.

"Appraisals are all over the place," she said of fluctuations in home prices since the recession began about two years ago. Lenders are being much more strict in checking everything from credit and employment history to attempting to ensure future ability to pay off mortgages.

"Things are better, but we're working harder than ever to make deals happen," Cook said. Agents are spending a lot of time working with potential home buyers to make sure they are prepared and their credit is in good shape.

Wayne Noon, owner-broker of Noon and Associates, agreed with Cook's assessment.

"Things are much better, but these are definitely challenging days," Noon said. "The days of being able to close in 30 days are gone."

The Longview-area market is especially good for potential buyers with top credit ratings, Noon said.

"The available inventory is much better now than it's been, so there are more options for buyers to choose from," he said. That, combined with historically low home mortgage rates, make home buying attractive for many people, Noon added.

Home mortgage rates were in the 4.5 percent range this past week for a 30-year fixed loan, he said.

"One thing we're finding is that buyers want and demand a home that is move-in ready because they're spending more on closing cost and getting into homes," Noon said. "They don't have as much (money) available for fixing things up after they move in."

Across Texas, the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University reported 109,362 homes were sold in the state from January through June. That is up about 10.8 percent from the 98,667 homes sold in the state in the first six months of 2009.

For existing single-family homes, the National Association of Realtors this past week reported sales fell 5.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.70 million in June from a level of 4.98 million in May. But compared to June 2009, national figures were up 8.5 percent above the 4.33 million pace in June 2009.