Once again the residential home sales were very strong in August. A combination of July and August sales showed a 44% increase over the same period in 2011.Home sales reported through the MLS® System of the Brandon Real Estate Board totalled 138 units in August 2011, marking the third highest level on record for August sales. It was an increase of five per cent from the same month last year, and stood just six sales below the record month of August set in 2009. The average price of homes sold in August 2011 was $181,753, up eight per cent from August 2011. The dollar value of all home sales in August amounted to $25 million, rising 14 per cent from levels recorded one year earlier. The total value of all properties sold in August 2011 was $26 million, up 10 per cent from August 2010.    New residential listings on the Board’s MLS® System numbered 239 units in August 2011, jumping 33 per cent from the same month last year.There were 985 active residential listings on the Board’s MLS® System at the end of August, up 20 per cent from levels reported in August 2010. While the number of homes currently for sale on the market is elevated, it remains well below the kinds of levels reached in mid-2009.There were 9.6 months of inventory at the end of August 2011 on a seasonally adjusted basis, up from 7.9 months in July.The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.For more information on market statistics, available homes or on real estate in general, visit our web site at www.breb.mb.ca or call (204) 727-4672. The Brandon Real Estate Board is a non-profit organization representing more than 160 REALTORS®.