June 2, 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes hit a six-month high in April, as prospective home owners took advantage of a popular homebuyer tax credit, a survey showed on Wednesday.
KEY POINTS:
* The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in April, increased 6.0 percent to 110.9, the highest since October.
* It was the third straight month of gains in the index, which leads existing home sales by a month or two. Pending home sales rose by a revised 7.1 percent in March, a figure previously reported as a 5.3 percent increase.
* Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast pending home sales rising 5.0 percent in April. Compared to April 2009, the index was 22.4 percent higher.
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