The average Mecklenburg County home sold through the MLS during the first half of 2004 fetched $225,138. That's up about 4 percent from the same period the year before, and in line with what official sources say about appreciation here.

And, for the first time, the average single-family home in one ZIP code closed for more than $700,000.

Those are headlines on the results of a records search by the Carolina Multiple Listing Services for a big spread in the Observer's upcoming "Living Here" newcomer's guide.

I asked MLS guru Steve Byrd to search closing records for the first six months of the year, and sort average closing prices by Mecklenburg ZIP code and by neighborhood. Through June, 6,774 single-family homes in the county passed through the MLS.

"Living Here," with a color-coded ZIP code map and list of busiest neighborhoods, will be published Sept. 26. We'll make the full list of average neighborhood closing prices available online.

Meanwhile, here's a peek at other highlights of the search:

• The average home in ZIP code 28207, which includes Eastover and Myers Park, sold for $759,692. During the same period last year, the average was $689,241.

• The busiest ZIP code during the first half of 2004 was 28277 on the southern tip of Mecklenburg, which includes the booming Ballantyne area. It was also busiest during the first half of last year. The average value for the ZIP code was $333,120. The most active neighborhoods there included Weston Glen (48 homes), Ballantyne Country Club (45) and Piper Glen (34).

• The busiest neighborhood again this year, just as last year, was Highland Creek. During the first half of 2004, 126 homes in Highland Creek sold for an average of $197,509.

• A related search revealed that 1,438 condos and townhouses sold for an average of $164,360 through June.

The figures include only MLS sales for which valid ZIP codes and subdivision names were listed. And the MLS reporting period for each month actually closes on the fifth of the following month, to capture the flurry of closings at the end of the month.

Syndicated columnist Kenneth Harney reported in June that home value appreciation seemed to be slowing across the country, based on the first-quarter report from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.

The average nationally for the previous 12 months was an impressive 7.7 percent, he said, but the annualized rate for the first three months of the year was 3.84 percent.

Homes in North Carolina appreciated 3.44 percent from the first quarter of last year to the first quarter of 2004, according to the OFHEO. Appreciation in South Carolina was 4.01 percent.