HOUSTON — (August 21, 2012) — Local home buying remained hot in July as real estate consumers accounted for the 14th straight month of positive sales and the steepest one-month sales gain in nearly a year.

Single-family home sales soared 27.0 percent compared to July 2011, according to the latest monthly data prepared by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR). The robust sales activity is keeping local housing inventory at its lowest level in more than five years.

"July was another very healthy month for the Houston real estate market with strong sales across all housing segments, from lower-priced homes to luxury homes," said Wayne A. Stroman, HAR chairman and CEO of Stroman Realty. "Sales volume isn't achieving the record levels we experienced in 2006, before the recession, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a market performing as well as Houston, even as the national housing recovery continues. Houston's steady employment growth remains a key driver."