Housing starts fell sharply in September, HUD and the Census Bureau reported yesterday, but single-family starts increased slightly, reflecting continued optimism among home builders.

Ellie Mae, Pleasanton, Calif., released its monthly Origination Insight Report, showing falling interest rates drove the refinancing rate for closed rates to nearly 50 percent.

Veros Real Estate Solutions, Santa Ana, Calif., released its third quarter forecast, project average appreciation rate for residential real estate in the nation's largest 100 housing markets to increase by 3.7 percent through September 2020, unchanged from the first and second quarters this year.

Commercial real estate values are dictated by property incomes and capitalization rates, or the yields investors are looking to receive on their investments.