February total sales which includes home, lot, commercial and raw ground sales ended up at 320, 32% higher than January sales of 242. February, 2010 sales matched February, 2008 sales, but were 47% higher than February 2009. Year to date, sales are up 37% over 2009 sales and just barely under 2008 YTD sales.February, 2010 home sales were strong and up 75% from February, 2009. PUD/Condo sales also climbed 43% year over year. Year to date vacant lot sales more than doubled over last year. West St. George, Washington City and Bloomington Hills enjoyed the largest percentage of year over year sales growth in Washington County. New lot sales were the highest in many months at 25 and resale lots jumped to a several month high at 31. Commercial sales dropped year over year. New building permits nearly doubled in February over January and both January and February building permits outpaced new home sales by a significant margin. Both notices of default and foreclosures dipped in February even though the ratio of foreclosures to notices of default remained high at around 50%. The number of loans remain low at only 428 real property loans in Washington County. A large percentage of sales continue to be cash. The average loan amount has climbed. After months of declining sales, stagnant permitting and growing foreclosures it is refreshing to see home sales up, lot sales up, permits up and foreclosures down. More From Southern Utah Title newsletter…What does this mean for Ence Homes? With the significant increase in sales for St. George and Washington, Ence has been right in the middle of this growth. Ence Communities are increasing in sales and having the opportunity to build more communities and Homes for families in St. George, Washington, Santa Clara, and Ivins. New locations like Village on the Heights nestled in Santa Clara have been recently opened and multiple homes are being built. Ence Homes had a good first quarter in sales and is excited for what the rest of the year brings to sales in Southern Utah.