GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A comparison of the number of property sales in price segments ranging from $50,000 and under, to $1 million and over, showed a marked drop off in the every category in the first six months of the year.

The most notable decline was recorded in the $200,000 to $300,000 category, in which sales plunged to 415 in the first half of the year from 876 in the same period of 2008.

That marked a decline of about 53 percent, a Heritage Title Company report showed.

The downturn was more pronounced when measured against the first six months of 2007 when total real estate sales were 1,015.

The second largest decrease was posted in the $150,000 to $200,000 category, in which sales slackened to 300 in the first six months of the year from 511 in the same period last year.

Total sales came in at 816 for the same period in 2007.

The two categories, at least as far as home sales go, are considered the most popular in Mesa County among buyers.

Dennis Edson, chairman of Unifirst Mortgage in Grand Junction, said the fall off in the two categories makes sense given most of the sales “activity is in the low end.”

The third worst performing category was in the $300,000 to $400,000 range, in which sales weakened to 117 from 284 in the comparable periods. The latest figure was about 63 percent lower than the 316 sales in the first half of 2007.

The over $1 million category saw sales sink to 16 from 63. That marked a decrease of about 75 percent.

The two lowest end categories put up the best performance. In the under $50,000 category sales slipped to 50 in the first half of 2009 from 55 in the same period last year.

At the same time sales in the range of $50,000 to $70,000 eased to 36 from 44.

Annette Miller, senior vice president of Heritage Title Company for the Western Slope Region, compiled the data. Figures were based on information gathered from the Mesa County Clerk & Recorder.

Reach Wyatt Haupt Jr. at whaupt@gjfreepress.com.