The sale of single-family houses in the Greater Des Moines area continues to outpace 2019 with nearly 11% more transactions in 2020 than a year ago, data collected by the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors shows.

Through July 31, 8,547 homes had been sold this year, 825 more than during the same period in 2019, the data shows. In July, sales were up 31% from a year ago with 1,866.

“We saw a large jump in sales due to the pent-up demand from earlier this spring while many were staying home,” Lance Hanson, the association’s president, said in a prepared statement. “Most price ranges need more properties for sale to meet the buyer demand.”

Historically low interest rates are fueling home sales, experts have said. In mid-July,  the 30-year fixed-rate average sank to 2.98%, the first time in 50 years the rate had been below 3%, according to Freddie Mac, the federally chartered mortgage investor. The average rate currently is 2.96%.

The Des Moines association’s data also showed:

• The median home sale price in July was $229,900, 2% higher than in June and 7% higher than July 2019.
• The average number of days on the market in July was 50, the same as it was in June. In July 2019, houses were on the market an average of 54 days.
• The number of houses for sale fell to 2,785, slightly less than the 2,791 on the market in July and 30% less than were on the market in July 2019.