Pending sales for single-family homes and condominiums in Massachusetts rose for the 20th straight month in December, closing 2012 with a 25-percent increase over 2011, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR).
The number of single-family homes placed under agreement for sale last month was up 15.6 percent over December 2011 (from 2,648 to 3,062). Meanwhile, the number of condominiums placed under agreement rose 5.6 percent (from 1,019 to 1,076).
However, on a month-to-month basis, the numbers of single-family homes placed under agreement fell 21 percent; for condominiums, the drop was 25 percent.
Pending sales figures are a leading indicator of actual housing in sales in Massachusetts two to three months out, according to the association.
“The positive end-of-year numbers are encouraging to moving us that much closer to a market recovery,” said MAR President Kimberly Allard-Moccia.
“Buyers in 2012 ‘walked the walk’ in … entering the market and making offers.”
