While home inventory levels in Dane County remain limited, “the picture is looking brighter” for the local housing market as sales are on the rise. That’s the largest driving factor for more homes being sold in the county, Stark wrote, noting it had 8.4% more residential closings in the second quarter compared to the same period of last year. “June was a particularly active month, with Dane County closings up 19% from June of last year,” he wrote. The trend of rising sales helps explain why inventory growth has been slow in the county. “Both buying and selling activity have improved this year, and as buyers come to the market in greater numbers, inventory is struggling to accumulate, even with more new listings,” Stark wrote.