Mass. Home Sales Continued Rise In June

Two new reports show continued strong growth in the state's housing market.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors said Tuesday that June sales of single-family homes rose 18.5 percent, compared to the same month last year. That's the 12th straight month of year-over-year increases.

Using a different calculation, real estate publisher The Warren Group put the increase at 26 percent. The group said June's 5,498 sales mark "the best month for sales since June 2010."

"The local consumer confidence combined with low mortgage rates are evidently helping the market a great deal," the group's CEO, Timothy Warren, said in a release.

Meanwhile, median home prices remained flat in June, compared to the same month last year.

Despite the latest sales numbers, MAR President Trisha McCarthy told our Newscast unit the state housing market has a way to go.

"We're still struggling," she said. "I mean, I see signs, but I think we're not going to see huge excerpts of increase. I think it's going to be baby steps."

Massachusetts condo sales and median prices also rose in June, according to both reports.

With additional reporting by The Associated Press