Portland Sales Dip 9% to August Low, Says MDA DataQuick

The number of homes sales in Portland, Ore. was at its lowest August level in 15 years, according to MDA DataQuick.

There were 3,063 new and resale houses and condominiums sold in the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton metro area in August. That’s down 9.2% from July and the lowest level of August sales in the area since MDA DataQuick began tracking the region in 1994.

The monthly decline in sales nearly eclipsed July’s 9.3% monthly gain and effectively erased July’s 5.8% year-on-year gain, which ended a 40-month run of year-over-year declines. The year-on-year loss continued in August, with sales slipping 0.8% below levels seen in August 2008.

The median sale price for homes in the region was $242,200, up a 0.7% from July but down 10.8% from $271,500 a year ago and down 16.2% from the market peak of $288,858 in August 2007.

Previously foreclosed homes accounted for 15.5% of all resales in the region, up from 14.2% in July and up from 6.8% one year ago. During the month, 675 houses and condos went into foreclosure in the region, down 1.2% from July and up 92.3% from a year ago. The number of August foreclosures is 24% higher than the monthly average during the past year.

Write to Austin Kilgore.