More houses were sold in Lawrence and Douglas County this June than a year ago, but the number was down from the monthly record racked up in May, according to the latest data from the Douglas County Appraiser’s Office.

In Lawrence, 207 single-family homes were sold in June, up 6.8 percent from the same period a year ago. Compared with May, sales were down about 28 percent.

With 265 sales in Lawrence and North Lawrence, May was a record month, the appraiser’s office said.

“It has been a great market the last couple of months, maybe the best we’ve ever seen,” said Gary Nuzum, managing broker with Coldwell Banker McGrew Real Estate.

Nuzum said July also had been a strong month. Despite interest rates rising by about a percentage point during the past five weeks, he said activity had been strong. He said he thought some people were rushing to get in the market before rates went higher.

“I think earlier in the year people were in a bit of a waiting mode,” Nuzum said. “They weren’t in any hurry because they thought if they waited a month or two rates would just go down. Those days are behind us.”

Countywide in June, 249 sales were tallied, up about 9 percent from a year ago, but down about 27 percent from May.

Prices in June increased, both from May and from June 2002. The average selling price for a home in Lawrence, excluding North Lawrence, was $171,173, up from $161,651, or about 6 percent, in June 2002 and $163,706 in May.

Homes in the rural areas of the county continued to have the highest selling price, fetching an average of $276,292, up 14 percent from a year ago.

North Lawrence had the lowest average selling price at $114,160, up 7 percent from a year ago. Other average selling prices included Baldwin at $151,779, down by 9 percent from a year ago, and Eudora at $146,714, up by 13 percent. Lecompton had no sales last month or in June 2002.