Realtors in the Oklahoma City area handled the sale of 1,442 homes in September. Sales plummeted 25 percent compared with the month before, reflecting the typical post-summer slowdown, but sales were up 2.1 percent compared with September a year ago.

However, the number of homes listed for sale considered against the average sales pace told the tale of the market heading into the fourth quarter:

•  The Metro Association of Realtors ended September with 7,537 homes on the Multiple Listing Service, a decrease of more than 1,000 compared with September 2011.

•  Monthly sales the past year averaged 1,469.3.

That comes to a 5.1-month supply, tipped somewhat toward sellers, according to The Oklahoman's calculations. Realtors here generally consider an inventory of five to six months to be balanced. The calculation considers only sales handled by Realtors and not homes sold directly by builders, which are not tracked.

Sales should remain strong in coming months because of “balance in the market for consumers,” said Lorna Koeninger, president of the Metro Association of Builders and a sales associate with Paradigm AdvantEdge Real Estate.

Mortgage interest rates continued to fuel sales, as well as refinancing, for those with good-enough credit. The average loan rate here in September was 3.71 percent, up slightly from 3.69 percent in August but down considerably from the average of 4.47 percent in September 2011.