Home sales jump in October, beating expectations - October U.S. home sales rose 10.1% from September, beating expectations, as the first-time home buyer tax credit helped spur sales. The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes, including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, surged to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.10 million units in October from a downwardly revised pace of 5.54 million in September. The rate is 23.5% above the 4.94 million-unit level in October 2008. It was the highest sales level since February 2007. Sales had been expected to rise to an annual pace of 5.65 million, according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-11-23-existing-home-sales-oct_N.htm