Home sales rose 10 percent in the Western region of the country in October, driven largely by first-time homebuyers racing to qualify for a tax credit that had been set to expire at the end of this month, according to two reports released Monday.

Sales in the 13-state region have improved this year, aided by the tax incentive, the data last month benefited from an easy comparison to October 2008 sales, which declined sharply as the U.S. financial crisis worsened.

Full story is available on The New York Times