Notice anything different?

I remember several months ago there were many posts dealing with the housing market asking "are we

there yet?" meaning have we hit bottom and are we about to start seeing a turnaround and improvement

in our lively-hood? Recalling many posts there seemed to be optimism that the bottom was upon us and

better times were right around the corner. Well, I think for most of us we were wrong and the down turn

has lasted much longer than we expected. For me it has thats for sure! I thought by spring things would

start looking up - noticeably. It hasn't happened. There are many reasons why. In fact there have been

hotly debated posts about the "why" that many of us have enjoyed participating in. I'm not here to open

that can of worms now, but I am here to ask - are you noticing anything different yet? Personally I am

noticing some changes. I'm seeing homes selling in 30 days that are the nicest choices in a particular

price point. We have placed offers on fresh listings and end up in multiple offer situations - several times

in the last month! I hear today that housing starts went up in June, 11% up from May - the largest

increase since December of 2000!!! Metrotex assoc of Realtors says the average # of days on the

market in the Dallas area is 77 days! This could be indicating an under supply situation!!! This

could/should affect buyers optimism and bring more out to buy. We are busier right now than we have

been since 2006! I guess my big question for everyone is - how long will this last? Is this 'surge' simply

a result of the $8000 tax credit and will evaporate when the credit does? Most of our buyers are first

timers - looking to cash in on the credit but we do have a couple of other 'investor' type buyers looking for

great deals. I'd like to think things are looking up but I'm not so sure yet.

What are you seeing?