Contracts to buy homes rose in May to their highest level in more than nine years, according to the National Association of Realtors, MarketWatch reported. The pending home sales index rose 0.9 percent last month after a slight downward revision in April, the NAR said. The index level of 112.6 — 100 was the average level of activity in 2001 — is the highest since April 2006 and up 10.4 percent from May 2014. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing. The NAR said last week that actual sales hit a 5-1/2 year high in May. In Greater Des Moines, pending sales increased 23 percent in May from a year ago and sales jumped 26 percent, according to a report earlier this month from the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors.