Home sales jumped in October as lower mortgage rates encouraged buyers to reenter the market. Sales of existing homes rose 1.2% last month from September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.1 million, according to National Association of Realtors data released on Thursday. Sales rose 5.3% month over month in the Midwest and a more modest 0.5% in the South. They were flat in the Northeast and fell in the West. Compared to a year earlier, home sales were up 1.7%. The jump came even though the federa ...