The “fiscal cliff” deal congress reached at the close of 2012 had an impact on sales of luxury homes, according to the National Association of Realtors.

In an apparent effort to beat the clock on new tax rules, sellers of high-end homes hurried to sell in the final quarter. In November alone, sales of homes $1 million and higher spiked 51 percent from previous year. Homes that changed hands for more than $10 million sold