Gainesville residents saw a 21-percent jump in home sales in May over this time last year and a four-percent jump in average sales price, but those numbers might not tell the whole story.

Santa Fe Economist Roger Strickland says he isn't optimistic about the new data for several reasons. First, he says the first time home buyer tax credit is driving sales up. Also, he says a modest uptick in the numbers doesn't mean very much after years of declining sales.

"Isolated {the numbers} look good," Strickland says, "but taken in the context of what's going on throughout the state and looking a little deeper into the numbers, they're not all the promise people might want."

At least one realtor backs up Strickland's position. Craig Wilburn says it's really an issue of supply and demand.

"We've seen tremendous increases in activity," notes Wilburn, "it's still a lot of inventory."

Statewide, the May numbers for home sales were up 18-percent from a year ago. Average price, however, fell two-percent.