For the first time in 12 months, Realtors are feeling better about the Massachusetts real estate market in June compared to the same time last year, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR).

In June, the Realtor Market Index was up 2.8 percent from the June 2010. This is the first year-over-year increase since May 2010. However, the June Realtor Price Index (RPI) was down from June 2010, when confidence was high because of the homebuyer tax credit. Realtor members are very concerned about the impact a 20 percent down payment requirement being proposed as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

"We are pleased to see that Realtors who responded to the monthly survey felt better about the market than they did in June of last year," said 2011 MAR President Laurie Cadigan, broker/owner of Barrett & Co. in Concord. "The drop in the Realtor Price Index was understandable this June as there was a run-up in prices as homebuyer tax credit came to an end in June 2010."

When Realtor members were asked what type of impact a proposed 20 percent down payment requirement to obtain a "qualified residential mortgage" (QRM) would have (as a proposal within Dodd-Frank bill), 96 percent responded that it would have either a slight negative impact (6 percent) or significant negative impact (86 percent), with 4 percent responding with comments such as "Would effectively shut down home sales," or "It would be a disaster." Five percent of the members responded that it would have a significant positive impact, while no members said it would have a "slight positive impact" or "no impact."