Good news for buyers vis-á-vis interest rates. Kerri Anne Panchuk of HousingWire reports that “homebuyers heading into the marketplace are still looking at historically low mortgage rates… The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for the week ending Oct. 18 hit 3.37%, which is down from 3.39% a week earlier and from 4.11% last year.”

The LA Times’ Alejandro Lazo and Jim Puzzanghera have posted a story headlined “Housing Industry Recovering Faster than Many Economists Expected.” It features a short video discussion between the Times’ David Lazarus and Nancy Rivera Brooks, and also Gary Painter who’s the director of research at USC’s Lusk Center for Real Estate.

APM’s “Marketplace” with Kai Ryssdal reported yesterday that “new home construction for September was the highest the industry has seen in four years… a 34 percent jump from last year.” However there’s one downside which is the increased demand for raw materials used in building, which means prices there are likely to rise. Read Shereen Marisol Meraji’s story and hear the short radio piece here.