A report from The M Report. "The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released their monthly residential construction report for October on Tuesday, revealing a downward slide in building permits, housing starts, and housing completions and prompting economists to speculate about the slowdown in the market. Despite the slip in the market in October, Tendayi Kapfidze, Chief Economist at LendingTree, did not find cause for concern in the report."

"In fact, Kapfidze said the backward slide could be healthy for the market. 'When we look at prior housing cycles, continued acceleration in home sales and prices would have to come at the cost of increasing leverage; this is how we got in trouble before. Had the market slowed in an orderly fashion in 2003/2004, we may have saved the economy from the woes unleashed later in the decade.'"

From KRON in California. "We know that the housing supply in the Bay Area is not keeping up with demand. For several years now, it has been a seller's market. But now, the economy has stabilized, and in many cases, excelled. People are still looking into buying homes."

"The American Dream of owning a home is not dead. 'It's alive, but we're having to get a little more creative in keeping it alive,' Mortgage Consultant Chris Hudson said."

"Real Estate Agent Jason Moon says depending on your level of income, your credit history, and amount of cash available to cover the down payment and closing costs, a $640,000 home in Concord could be yours. 'You want to know if they're buying a home with cash or with a loan,' Moon said. 'And most of the time, it is with a loan, regardless of what some people may say out there.'"

"Loan officer Kristine Marr says most people are still signing traditional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, but adjustable rate mortgages may fall more in line with the borrower's needs, especially in the Bay Area--if the home buyer intends to move out within three-to-seven years."

"'Say two young professionals, straight out of school,' Marr said. 'I can qualify them straight out of school to buy a home, and I'll show them the options. I'll show them this is a 30-year fixed mortgage, but since you're buying a small home or a condo, you might want to look at a side-by-side comparison with a seven-one arm. It will be fixed for seven years. So, if you sell anytime before seven years, it will never adjust on you because you'll sell the home. The mortgage is gone--paid off. And you move to your next home.'"

"Marr says the myth of needing 20 percent cash down to secure a mortgage and a home is just that--a myth. 'You can go with 3 percent down, or 3 1/2 percent down, or anything above that,' Marr said. You could also possibly qualify for down payment assistance in the form of credit that can also be applied to closing costs."

From Globe St.. "Affordability issues are driving condo sales down significantly this year. According to research from Polaris Pacific, condo sales in Los Angeles were down 18.9% for year-over-year in October with a total of 1,093 condo closings during the month. Unlike the single-family housing market, condo sales activity was not impacted by a supply shortage."

"Condo listing were actually up 68.3% year-over-year in October with a 3.8 month inventory. This is still considered a seller’s market however as a buyer’s market is four to six months of inventory. Rather than supply, high pricing has driven prospective buyers out of the market."

"'Although we are in the midst of an extremely strong economy that continues to drive demand, there are headwinds that are making home purchases more difficult for a portion of the potential pool of buyers,' Mike Akerly, VP and regional manager at Polaris Pacific, tells GlobeSt.com. 'We have seen seven straight years of appreciation in the Los Angeles Metro which has had an impact on affordability. Although wage growth in recent years has been in the 2.5% to 3% range, it is barely outpacing inflation and not keeping up with appreciation rates in the residential sector.'"

"Pricing is one indicator of the strong market—despite the decrease in transaction volume. Prices in October actually increased 7.3%, according to Polaris Pacific, with the median price for a condo in Los Angeles $804,000. However, Akerly says that it may just be taking the market a moment to adjust to the smaller buyer pool."

"'In this case, year-over-year price increases are a lagging indicator of the direction of the market,' he says. 'These continued increases will likely not be sustainable in the future in the face of increased inventory and decreased transaction volume.'"

"Likely, there will likely be a pause before sellers begin to lower prices to meet new demand levels. 'On a practical level, I think what you are seeing is the stand-off period when sellers attempt to continue to push pricing above prior levels and a portion of the market begins to balk at the continued increases,' says Akerly. 'Ultimately, sellers are likely to adjust their expectations in the face of fewer buyers and more competition, which will in turn lead to an increased number of transactions until a new equilibrium is found.'"

From NBC Los Angeles. "Dozens of cranes are swinging through the sky in downtown, only outnumbered by the hardhats of construction workers, busy putting up yet another mega apartment building. LA's historic skyline is literally changing before our eyes."

"'You'd have to go back to the mid-1920s to find a period of construction similar to what we are seeing downtown,' said Steve Basham, CoStar senior market analyst."

"The average one bedroom apartment is now up to $2,430, and there's no shortage of availability. In fact, an explosion of new development in downtown Los Angeles means there are more empty apartments than ever before. So while the new buildings are becoming more luxurious, the deals for renters are getting better and better."

"Basham says the vacancy rate of apartments in downtown LA is currently 10.6 percent. That's as high as it's ever been. 'The perception of the area has really shifted, and the opening of these apartment communities is a big part of that,' Basham said."

"But in order to fill these towers, developers are now going extreme. The Sofia building will offer a free gym membership that includes yoga and spin classes. There's even a karaoke room. And - drum roll - up to six weeks free rent."

"In another building called Topaz, the deal is even better. They offer eight weeks free rent on some leases, which could save more than $4,000. There's also free parking, a resort pool, and a washer and dryer in the apartment."

"CoStar says more than 10,000 units have opened in downtown since 2014. There are another 4,300 under construction."