In October, Massachusetts Realtors were more confident in the overall residential market and residential home prices compared to the same time last year, the first time since April 2010 that both the Realtor Market Index and Realtor Price Index rose in the same month.

According to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR), the Realtor Market Index (RMI) rose to 25.88 in October, compared to 20.75 in October 2010. The Realtor Price Index (RPI) in October stood at 43.75, up from 43.03 last year.

In both cases, the index is measured on a 100-point scale, with a score of 50 being the midpoint between "strong" (100 points) and "weak" (0 points) market conditions, according to a statement.

Both indexes were also up over September, when the RMI measured 21.63 and the RPI stood at 37.38.

The RMI and RPI are based on monthly responses from a random sampling of MAR members on the state of the housing market. The survey asks members two basic questions pertaining to the real estate business in their market area in Massachusetts: "How would you describe the current housing market?" and "What are your expectations of home prices over the next year?"

In addition to these standard questions, the survey each month includes one wildcard question that changes monthly and is based on an industry hot topic. In October, members were asked about how their under-30 buyer clients have reacted to the historically-low interest rates and more affordable home prices.

Thirty-three percent of respondents reported either a significant increase (3 percent) or increase (30 percent) in the buying activity of their under-30 buyers because of low-interest rates and more affordable home prices. Fifty-two percent of respondents reported no change in the buying activity of that demographic, while 14 percent have seen either a decrease (11 percent) or a significant decrease (3 percent) in buying activity by their under-30 clients.