Local home builders say they are seeing more interest from prospective buyers and it was reflected in April numbers released by the California Building Industry Association. Housing starts statewide edged up 7.2% from March, but were down a whopping 59.2% from a year earlier.

In Fresno County, developers started 312 houses last month, a 16.4% hike from March. But the market is still clearly lousy, as evidenced by a 43.2% decline in construction over a year period. In fact, the association is predicting a paltry 79,000 new housing units statewide in 2008, the worst since record-keeping started in 1954.

Madera and Merced counties continued to see monthly declines, but builders in Tulare County upped their production 52%. Here's the press release from the building association