Pending Homes Sales have risen again; it is the eighth month in a row according to a report by the National Association of Realtors last week. 

The Pending Home Sales Index rose 6.1% over last month.  This is 21.2% higher that this number was in September 2008. 

Experts are attributing much of the recent success to government programs that are making housing more affordable.  “What we’re witnessing is a rush of first-time buyers trying to beat the expiration of the tax credit at the end of this month,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the association said in a statement.