Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes likely slipped last month from a two-year high reached in August, the latest sign that the recovery in housing is slow and uneven. Economists forecast that sales dropped 1.7 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.74 million units, according to a survey by FactSet. The National Association of Realtors will release the report at 10 a.m. Eastern time Friday. In August, sales of previously occupied homes jumped 7.8 percent to 4.82 million, the highest since May 2010, when sales were aided by a federal home-buying tax credit. But the number of contracts ... (full story)