Figures from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors show the median home price in the 13-county metro climbed to $175,000 in October -- up nearly 15 percent compared with the same period a year ago. MPR reports October was the eighth straight month of price gains. Pending and completed sales were also up last month.

September was another good month for home sellers in the 13-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metro. The Business Journal says pending sales grew 11 percent last month, compared to the same month a year ago, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. The median home sales price also increased 12.3 percent to $174,000 in the Twin Cities area, Finance & Commerce reports. However, the number of homes for sale dropped 29.4 percent -- the lowest level in nearly a decade.

U.S. Home prices rose in June in all of the 20 cities tracked, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index. Minneapolis recorded one of the biggest one-month gains -- up 4.8 percent from May and 5.7 percent from June 2011.

The number of homes on the market in the Twin Cities was down more than 30 percent last month -- the lowest inventory levels in nearly a decade, according to the Star Tribune. The median home sales price in the 13-county metro area jumped 15.5 percent to $179,000 compared with a year ago.

The number of closed sales last month rose 7.1 percent compared with last year, while the median price of those deals jumped 12.4 percent to $163,000.