Confidence in the real estate market has gone up for the fifth straight month compared to the same time last year, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR).

Fifty-one percent of Realtors cited the unseasonably warm weather in November and December had a positive impact on the market.

"While there was some market uncertainty in the year, it was good to see 2011 close with our members’ confidence going up for the fifth straight month," said 2012 MAR President Trisha McCarthy, broker at Keller Williams Realty in Newburyport. "These indexes are a reflection of what Realtors are seeing and hearing from their clients on a day-to-day basis and their confidence level is moving in the right direction."

In December, the Realtor Market Index (RMI) rose 45 percent from the same month in 2010. This is the fifth straight month of year-over-year increases since January-May 2010. The Realtor Price Index (RPI) was up 2 percent from the December 2010.

The entire year brought less positive news. The Realtor Market Index for 2011 was down 8.9 percent from the 2010 RMI. The Realtor Price Index was down 9.8 percent from the 2010 RPI.