BY NICK TIMIRAOS

Sales of previously owned homes were stronger than expected in October, putting them on track to hit their highest annual level since 2007.

Existing homes sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.79 million units in October, the second-highest level of the year and up 2.1% from September, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. October’s level represented a 10.9% gain from a year earlier and was the 16th consecutive month of year-over-year home-sales gains.

Prices are rising amid sharp declines in the number of homes listed for sale. Just 2.14 million homes were for sale at the end …