Summit County, CO (September 2006) – While recent news stories depict a slowing housing market in a few metropolitan areas around the U.S., mountain properties in Summit County are continuing to sell at a steady pace. The Summit County division of Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate reported a record month in August, with over $39 million in sales. The company’s previous record month was recorded just one month earlier in July 2006, with $32.5 million in sales. For the year, the Summit County division is well ahead of last year’s pace for new written contracts, which totaled $210 million in sales by the end of the year. “The market is quite healthy across all price ranges and people are actively purchasing primary and vacation homes throughout Summit County,” said Eric Thompson, Managing Broker of Slifer Smith & Frampton in Summit County. “In fact, home sales in the overall Summit County market are up by 19 percent over last year. I am very confident in this market because there are several key fundamentals at work for property owners here: the four ski resorts in the County have seen significant increases in their skier visits over the last few years; the ski resort owners have been investing huge amounts of money into improving the ski mountains; the Baby Boomers are now reaching the time in their life when they want to own vacation property, and, probably most important, there isn’t much land left to develop here. Summit County is essentially an island surrounded by an ocean of National Forest.” “With the average price of a home in Summit County half the average price in Eagle County, people are continuing to realize what an incredible value Summit County is,” Thompson added. Slifer Smith & Frampton has been the most trusted name in Colorado mountain real estate for over 40 years. The company has six offices located throughout Summit County.