NAHB - "Housing Starts Decline Again In September" (10-17-08)

"Total housing starts fell 6.3 percent to an 817,000-unit rate in September following a substantial downward revision to the August number. Single-family starts declined 12 percent to a rate of 544,000 units, which is the slowest pace of new-home production since August of 1982. Meanwhile, multifamily starts rose 7.5 percent to 273,000 units, partially offsetting a big decline in the previous month."

Bloomberg - "AIG May Tap U.S. Commercial Paper Program for Cash" (10-17-08)

"AIG probably will borrow less than $10 billion through the new commercial paper program, said the person, who declined to be identified because no agreement had been reached. AIG has already used two-thirds of its $122.8 billion credit line in the past month to cover bad bets made on the U.S. housing market."

Bloomberg - "Lehman Judge Approves Auction of Neuberger Division" (10-17-08)

"Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. can proceed with an auction of its investment-management business under modified rules that will help potential buyers including Carlyle Group compete with lead bidders Bain Capital LLC and Hellman & Friedman LLC."

Orange County Register - "North O.C. draws largest rent hikes" (10-17-08)

"Our review of a new quarterly rent report from RealFacts, which tracks 489 Orange County apartment complexes, shows tenants in North County cities suffering the largest rent increases."

Orange County Register - "O.C.’s late Sept. home price at 5-year low" (10-17-08)

"DataQuick’s freshest O.C. homebuying stats for the 22 business days ended Sept. 26 show a $430,000 median selling price that is 26.5% off a year ago and 33% below June 2007’s peak of $645,000."

Los Angeles Times - "Layoffs at Zillow, Redfin: 'We're headed for a big dip.'" (10-17-08)

"Zillow.com and Redfin.com, rapidly growing web-based real estate companies, both announced major layoffs this week amid a weakening housing market and what Zillow says could be a 'prolonged recession.'"

The Wall Street Journal - "Housing Starts Hit 17-Year Low" (10-17-08)

"Housing starts decreased 6.3% to a seasonally adjusted 817,000 annual rate, after falling 8.1% in August to 872,000, the Commerce Department said Friday. Originally, Commerce reported August starts 6.2% lower at 895,000. July starts plunged 12.9%."

Realty Times - "Does Your Home have a Fiery Appeal?" (10-17-08)

"Outdoor living is becoming more popular as indoor living space is shrinking and becoming an extremely high-cost premium. But what gives your home a fiery spark to send buyers rushing to write an offer? Perhaps, bringing the comforts of indoor living outside may help. Outdoor fireplaces create a visual focal point and are often a quality of the home that attracts buyers."

Realty Times - "Mortgage Rates Shoot up Following Bond Yields" (10-17-08)

"Freddie Mac today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.46 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending October 16, 2008, up from last week when it averaged 5.94 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.40 percent. This week’s increase of 52 basis points was the largest weekly increase since the week ending April 17, 1987, when the 30-year FRM rose 84 basis points."