ST. PAUL — The number of Minnesota home owners who owe more on their mortgages than their house is worth has declined.

The research firm CoreLogic says about 10 percent of mortgaged properties in Minnesota are “underwater,” compared to about 16 percent a year earlier. Nationally, the share of homeowners with a mortgage in negative equity was about 13 percent at the end of 2013, down from about 22 percent a year earlier.

The director of real estate programs at the University of St. Thomas, Herb Tousley, said the improving home equity picture could prompt more Minnesotans to list their homes for sale.

The inventory of homes for sale in the Twin Cities is at 10-year low.