It was a mixed bag concerning new home starts last month.

There were seven new homes starts in Cherokee County in January - down two from the same month a year ago, according to a monthly report issued by the Home Builders Association of Cherokee County.

But there was a bit of good news - the average price of the home starts rose modestly from $111,894 in January 2007 to $119,801 last month.

The housing market for the city brightened last month, with two new home starts valued at $62,000 each. The city had no new home starts in January 2007.

A $225,000 tenant upfit for a retailer at Prime Outlets - Gaffney was the largest commercial permit issued by the city last month.

The largest commercial permit issued by the county was for a $175,000 building on Sarratt School Road.