CHARLOTTE – As the summer heat continued into September, home sales across the Charlotte region heated up as well.

According to data from Canopy MLS, sales in the region increased 8% in September over sales a year ago, with 4,162 transactions completed last month. Sales were down 12.1% compared to August.  Year-to-date trends show 3.1% more homes have sold this year than in the same period last year.

Pending sales, fueled by falling mortgage rates, were 37.6% higher than last September, but they were down 10.5% compared to August. Pending sales or contracts gauge buyer demand and are generally seen as a predictor of future sales.

“This most recent (interest) rate cut will continue to drive buyer demand that’s already strong in our region and should continue to drive sales over the next few months as well,” said Brenda Hayden, president of the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association/Canopy MLS.

“We were pleasantly surprised to see such a solid increase in new listings around the region,” said Hayden. “This is a strong signal of seller confidence that we’d like to see continue, and it will certainly help buyers with more choice in their home search.”