The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday that pending U.S. home sales increased in December, with deeply discounted homes finding buyers, particularly in the South and Midwest of the country. The trade group said its seasonally adjusted index of pending sales for existing homes for December rose 6.3 percent to 87.7 from an upwardly revised November reading of 82.5. Economists surveyed by Reuters had expected an 82.3 reading. The reading also was up 2.1 percent from December 2007. The index tracks signed contracts to purchase existing homes, Reuters reported.
