Economic "Glimmer Of Hope"?

PALM HARBOR, FL -- Palm Harbor resident Terry Gramlich is like many Americans. While he's been able to hold onto his job, that doesn't mean he hasn't hit a rough patch financially.

"It's very hard. It's been up and down. A lot of times, you go from week to week on your paycheck. It's very difficult," he said.

He's hoping for relief soon.

President Obama, speaking at the White House on Friday, may offer Gramlich some hope, saying there are "glimmers of hope" in some parts of the economy. At the same time, though, the President also said it is too soon to celebrate.

Some of that "glimmer of hope" could be appearing here in the Bay area - if you talk to people in the housing industry.

Gregory Lane, Vice President of Design for Mark Marconi Homes, said for the first time in a while, traffic is picking up.

"I'm probably showing houses 15 to 20 times a week and I was showing maybe twice a month six months ago," Lane explained. "We were sort of like the Maytag repairman waiting for someone to call."

He's not only showing homes, he's beginning to see sales again.

Buyers may be drawn to the price. A Palm Harbor model home he showed in the Blackstone subdivision on Friday used to go for $1.8 million unfurnished. Two months ago, they dropped the price to a little more than $1 million unfurnished. It's bringing in a steady stream of potential buyers.

If home building and home buying continues to pick up, Lane says the economy will follow.

"We employ the greatest cross section of manufacturing, labor, products and materials. If we get busy, they get busy," he said.

Lane isn't the only one seeing the upward trend in sales.

On Friday, the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors, Inc. released new housing numbers, showing another month of increases in sales.

The numbers show 1,400 homes sold in the Bay area in March, compared to 1,120 in February. The inventory is declining, from 17,403 in February to 16,778 in March. The average price of the homes selling inched up to $168,071.