A report from CNBC. "Builders warned of a slowdown in home sales. And they were right – except the numbers are even worse than expected. 'This number really sucked,' wrote Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, noting that August's read was also revised lower. 'Anyone watching home builder stocks or watching the data all year should not be surprised but its's clear this important area of the US economy, highly sensitive to price and rates, has obviously slowed sharply.'"

"The census number is key because it is based on signed contracts in September, not closings as existing home sales from the National Association of Realtors are. The census numbers measure buyers out shopping for homes in September, already seeing higher rates and deciding if they can still afford to make the deal. Clearly fewer could."

"'New home sales fell in September as rising prices and mortgage rates knocked out some buyers and spooked others into waiting to see if mortgage rates reverse or prices decline — even though both of these outcomes are unlikely,' said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. 'Instead of taking advantage of reduced competition in the fall, buyers seem to be hibernating, marking an earlier end to the homebuying season than we've seen in recent hotly competitive years.'"

"'Builders can read the early signs of a cooling housing market as well as anyone — including a slowing in home value growth, rising mortgage rates and an uptick in price cuts,' said Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow. 'With an increasingly cloudy economic outlook over the next two years, builders may be growing weary of putting sticks in the ground that won't be delivered to buyers for several months' time ... having only barely recovered from the last downturn, no one is eager to be swept away in the next economic storm brewing just beyond the horizon.'"

From The Island Now in New York. "After rising steadily throughout the summer, the median price for sold homes in Nassau County dropped in September to $525,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. It is the first month-to-month drop since April. Since bottoming out that month at $492,000, the median price of homes sold continued to climb until peaking in August at $550,000."

"The number of homes sold dropped steeply, from 1,479 in August to 991 in September. It was also down from 1,167 in September of last year, a 15.1 percent drop that was the biggest year-to-year fall of any month since at least October 2017. The median price for pending sales also dropped from $520,000 in August to $500,000 in September."

"Like everything else, the number of pending sales in Nassau County was also down from August. The 958 units pending sale in September was the lowest total of any month since January. It was a decrease from 1,337 in August and 1,010 in September 2017, a year-to-year drop of about 5 percent."

"In neighboring Suffolk County, the picture was similar. The median sales price dropped to $381,500, down from August but up from September 2017. The number of homes sold and homes pending sale both dropped from August, although the homes sold was way down from September 2017 while homes pending sale saw a very small increase."

From Greenwich Time in Connecticut. "Listed for $2,225,000 five years ago and at $2,050,000 last year, this 1940 expanded Cape Cod home sold last week for two-thirds of its asking price after 489 days on market. What did the buyer get? How about a 3,430-square-foot home on two-thirds of an acre in Riverside’s private Harbor Point Association?"

"This three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home is at the end of a cul-de-sac with unimpeded water views across a neighbor’s waterfront parcel. It is known as the 'Ice House' and renovation or reconstruction are two options for the property, which was damaged by Hurricane Sandy and is in need of repairs."

"At 54 percent of its tax-appraised full value and given its location in Riverside, it is a bargain for the right buyer and has tremendous upside potential from its $1.35 million selling price."