The National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index is an indicator of future home sales based on contract signings, not closings. In October, pending sales slipped 0.6 percent from the month before. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said weaker activity was expected. According to Yun, the government shutdown in the first half of the month sidelined some potential buyers. In fact, a recent survey found 17 percent of Realtors reported delays in October, mostly due to having to wait for potential buyers to have their income verified by the IRS before being approved for a mortgage. Despite the shutdown-related delays, pending home sales rose in the Northeast by 2.8 percent and were up 1.2 percent in the Midwest. Tight inventory in the West led to declines, while the South stayed relatively unchanged from September. Also in the report, annual existing-home sales should be nearly 10 percent higher than last year, totaling just above 5.1 million in 2013. More here.