Despite a drop in sales for October compared to last year, overall real estate sales for the year continue to mirror those of 2023 in terms of the number of properties sold. Last month there were 246 homes sold in the five-county area, down from 288 in October of last year. Those numbers all rank below the 441 homes sold in October 2020.

Year-to-date figures show 2,129 sales, just 13 fewer than the 2,142 for the first ten months of 2023. All those figures show a significant drop from years past, as the previous four years all easily topped 2,700 sales, with 2,840 in 2017 the high-water mark.

The 128 homes sold in Grand Traverse County is exactly the same as October 2023. The previous two years each saw 145 homes sold, with the high point again coming in 2020, when there were 188 homes sold.

Prices continue to rise, as four of the five counties saw an increase in the average sale price. In Grand Traverse, that average rose to $566,160, besting last October’s $539,396. Only Kalkaska County saw a drop, to $262,988 from $334,412 in October 2023. Overall, last month’s average of $554,232 topped the figure of $506,907 from October 2023. The year-to-date average is also the highest on record, at $547,320, besting last year’s $504,660.