GRAY — The number of new approved contracts for single-family residential sales in October was up from September and October last year in the 11-county area monitored by the Northeast Tennessee Association of Realtors (NETAR). NETAR’s New Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on new contract signing reported by Realtor Property Resource (RPR), was up by 0.9 percent from September and 8.3 percent from October last year.