Judging by figures released Friday, July 24, Warren County remains the engine behind much of the local housing market.

In June, the county issued building permits for 50 homes, 28 apartment units and 26 condos, according to figures released by the Home Builders Association of Dayton. That means the county logged 104 permits in a month in which the association reported 223 permits for Darke, Montgomery, Greene, Miami and Preble counties and cities within those jurisdictions.

In addition, another four permits were issued in Springboro and nine in Lebanon, the association said.

In Warren County, projects by Ryan Homes and M/I Schottenstein accounted for nearly half of the permits issued in June, according to HBA figures.

Dave Gully, Warren County Administrator, said the county has 232 unfinished subdivisions, many of them with roads, clubhouses and other infrastructure already installed, but filled with empty land owned by developers. Having that much land on hand gives the builders flexibility to toy around with the land cost, he said.

“In other words, you’re in a better position to sell a house if you own the land,” Gully said. “Anything you can do to move a lot, you’re going to do to get some cash flowing.”

In comparison, Greene County issued permits for 15 single-family homes and 12 condos, while another 12 single family permits were issued in Montgomery County in the month.

Staff writer Tim Tresslar covers commercial and residential real estate for Dayton Daily News. His Real Estate Notebook appears every Sunday. He can be reached at (937) 225-7317 or via e-mail at ttresslar@coxohio.com.