by Calculated Risk on 1/05/2010 09:49:00 AM

From the NAR:

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in November, fell 16.0 percent to 96.0 from an upwardly revised a 114.3 in October, but is 15.5 percent higher than November 2008 when it was 83.1.

On the extended and expanded tax credit:

[Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist] projects an additional 900,000 first-time buyers will qualify for the extended tax credit in addition to about 2 million who have already purchased; 1.5 million repeat buyers also are expected to benefit from the credit.

The extended and expanded tax credit was estimated to cost taxpayers $10.8 billion, but based on Mr. Yun's numbers, the tax credit will cost close to $17 billion (way over the initial estimate and just like the first tax credit, most buyers who receive the tax credit would have bought anyway).