In June 2008, the D.C. metro area real estate market experienced mixed changes, suggesting a slow recovery in 2008.  The number of properties sold increased again last month in most counties. The average days to sell properties decreased slightly last month, while the absorption rate and average sale prices remained the same as the previous month.
Absorption Rate - 1.3 out of every 10 homes for sale sold last month
↔	The average absorption rate remained the same in June, changing slightly from 13.89% in May to 13.46% in June.  Surprisingly, the absorption rate has remained between 14% and 13%, over past three months.  This a trend that has not been seen in the past three years.  This may be an early indication that the real estate market is returning to a balanced market, but we still have a ways to go.  The entire D.C metro area is still in a strong buyer's market that will most likely continue the rest the year. The absorption rate must reach 25% to be declared a balanced real estate market.
Days on Market - The homes that sold last month were on the market for 90 days
↔	The average time to sell a home decreased slightly to 90 days (5.26% drop) in June. It still takes 3 months to sell a property in the current market. The average number of days to sell a property decreased in all counties track last month, except P.G. county.
Sales Price - The average home sold for $10,688 more last month
↔	The average sales prices in the region increased slightly (2.42%) last month.  Montgomery county ($560,605; 10.76% jump) and Fairfax county ($484,855; 3.37% jump) experienced increases in sold prices last month.  The prices in D.C. remained about the same in June; while Arlington, Baltimore, and Price Georges counties experienced slight decreases in sold price.  I expect to see property values decrease steadily for the remaining half of the year.
Number of Sales - The average number of home sales increased again last month
↑	The number of sales increased 13% in June. I expect to a steady decrease in the number of sales for the remaining half of the year. All counties experienced increases in the number of sales last month, except Arlington county where the number of sales dipped to 216 , a 5.26% drop.