The Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) continue to be pessimistic about the state of the local housing market, according to a recent survey.

The March Realtor Market Index (RMI) fell 19.78 percent to a score of 32.09 from the 40 score in March 2010. This is the 10th straight month that the year-over-year RMI has gone down, but it is also the smallest decrease since June of last year when the RMI was down 25 percent.

Measured on a 100-point scale, a score of 50 is the midpoint between a "strong" (100 points) and a "weak" (0 points) market condition.

Compared to the previous month, RMI was up more than 14 percent from February, according to the survey. This is the fourth straight month-to-month gain.

The Realtor Price Index (RPI) also dropped in March, with an 8.38 percent dip from the same time last year. This is the ninth straight monthly year-over-year decrease. However, the RPI was up more than 3 percent on a month-to-month basis.

"Realtors who responded to the survey are feeling more and more positive each month as we head into the spring real estate market," said 2011 MAR President Laurie Cadigan, broker/owner of Barrett & Co. in Concord. "While we can feel the momentum building, we continue to keep an eye on the economy and potential changes in the secondary mortgage market and to the mortgage interest deduction coming out of Washington, D.C. that could negatively impact the market."