What's happening in our region?

Sales of existing homes in the South tumbled 18 percent in July from a year ago, while the median price fell 3.5 percent to $179,300, according to the National Association of Realtors.

An Associated Press and Re/Max housing report found that median home prices rose in six of the 21 Southern cities tracked. Home prices rose 9 percent in July in Huntington, W.Va., for example. On the other end of the spectrum, prices fell more than 15 percent in Orlando and Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C. The only metro area where sales rose in July was Miami, a market driven by bargains on foreclosures.

The AP and Re/Max report analyzed home sales recorded by all real estate agents in those cities, regardless of company affiliation.

Home sales in the Raleigh and Durham region were down by almost one-third from July 2007, while the median price fell almost 4 percent to $203,000.

Those numbers vary only slightly from figures released recently by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service.

Those numbers showed a similar decrease in sales. The median price dropped 3.3 percent to $192,000, according to the listing service.

The Triangle also tracked the national trend in inventory. There were 28,053 homes for sale in July, a 29 percent increase from July 2007, according to the service.