Briefly
From Times wire reports
* The percentage of California households able to afford the $474,370 median-price house in August was 18%, according to the California Assn. of Realtors.
* Homeowners spent an estimated $129.3 billion on home improvements and repairs in the year ended Sept. 30, according to the Remodeling Activity Indicator devised by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
* The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 5.74% last week from 5.82% the week before, Freddie Mac said. The 15-year rate was 5.14%.
From Times wire reports
