Another positive report for the housing market. The U.S. Census Bureau said that sales of new houses across the country during September were 27 percent higher than last year and 5.7 percent higher than August for a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 389,000.

The report (click here to see all the details) doesn't include local data, but the Builders Association of the Twin Cities said that while construction activity in the Twin Cities is still near historic lows, it's been increasing double-digits.