The gap between Halloween and Christmas is usually a home sales purgatory. But the Tampa housing market made an exception this year.

Home sales muscled up 52 percent from November 2008 to November 2009, according to the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. About 1,641 homes sold last month compared with 1,081 in the same period a year earlier.

The $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit enlivened what would normally be a dormant month. Judging from the high number of all-cash deals, investors also jumped into the market to snag foreclosure-discounted homes.

The average home sales price was $164,385, similar to what it was in spring and summer. That suggests the market's reached a pricing plateau. The Greater Tampa Association of Realtors compiles home sales for Hillsborough and central Pasco counties.