Residential home sales in the Charlotte region in August were up 25.6 from 2010 and up 5.3 percent from July, the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association reported last week. But prices remained weak, falling from both a year earlier and the previous month. Meanwhile, foreclosure data offered another encouraging sign: sales of “distressed” homes (those in foreclosure) fell to their lowest level in 3 1/2 years.

The figures are based on Carolina Multiple Listing Services Inc. (CMLS) data.

CRRA said number closings totaled 2,289 in August, up 25.6 percent from the same month of 2010, when closings totaled 1,822. Compared to July 2011 (2,173), closings were up 5.3 percent.

The average sales price in August 2011 ($205,915) was down 9.2 percent compared to August 2010 ($226,716), and down 3.5 percent compared to July 2011 ($213,371). The median sales price in August 2011 ($158,000) decreased 2.5 percent compared to the August 2010 median sales price of $162,000, and was down 3.5 percent compared to the July 2011 median sales price of $163,659.

The average list price in August 2011 ($236,813) increased 2.7 percent from last August’s average list price of $230,481, and was down 3.7 percent from the July 2011 average list price of $245,953. The residential pending contracts figure for August 2011 (2,258) was up 24.6 percent compared to August 2010 (1,812). This figure increased 8 percent over July 2011 when pending contracts totaled 2,091.

New residential listings in August 2011 totaled 3,886. The average number of days a property was listed until it closed (list to close) was 146, which is four days faster than last month.

Distressed housing inventory, or the transactions that deal with distressed sales, continues to decrease, with the number of foreclosures for sale in the MLS at its lowest level in three and a half years. Distressed sales represented 22.7 percent of all closings in August, down from 35.5 percent in August 2010. The share of distressed new listings in August decreased to 15.2 percent compared to 24.8 percent in August 2010, which means that a greater share of distressed properties are selling off the market than entering the market at this time.

For more residential-housing market statistics, visit the association’s website at www.CarolinaHome.com and click on “Community Data.”