The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR) reported today that the number of single-family homes put under agreement in February went up for the 10th straight month compared to the same time in 2011.

Condominium pending sales were also up from the same time last year. Pending figures are a leading indicator of actual housing sales in Massachusetts for the following 2-3 months.

The number of single-family homes put under agreement in February was up 44.2 percent compared to the same time last year, that’s 3,368 homes in 2012 compared to 2,335 homes in 2011. This is the 10th straight month of year-over-year increases. This was the largest year-over-year increase since MAR has been tracking this data. Prior to the previous record in January 2012, which was a 39.4 percent increase, the largest increase year-over-year was 32.3 percent in April of 2010. On a month-to-month basis, single-family homes put under agreement went up 18.3 percent from 2,846 homes in January.

The number of condos put under agreement in February was up 35.3 percent compared to February 2011, with 1,277 units in 2012 compared to 944 units in 2011. On a month-to-month basis, condos put under agreement were up 20 percent from 1,064 units in January.

"This was the largest year-over-year increase in pending sales since we’ve been tracking this data," said 2012 MAR President Trisha McCarthy, broker at Keller Williams Realty in Newburyport. "Buyer confidence continues to grow and the numbers confirm what Realtor®-members across the state have been reporting: they’re busy. If these pending sales hold together through closing, we have the potential for impressive increases in April and May closings."