Existing Home Sales Rise 5.5 Percent in September

"Existing-home sales — including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — rose 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.18 million units in September, up from a level of 4.91 million in August, according to data released Friday morning by the National Association of Realtors. Sales volume was 1.4 percent higher than the 5.11 million-unit pace in Sept. 2007, the first year-over-year gain posted in existing home sales since November 2005."