Pending home sales rose 8.2 percent in February
The number of previously owned homes placed under sales contract surged 8.2 percent in February, according to data released Monday, the first sign the government’s extended tax credit for buyers may bolster sales this spring. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its pending home sales index, a forward-looking measure based on contracts signed, rose to 97.6 in February from a downwardly revised 90.2 in January.

