October has just begun yet it seems like Halloween came in early for the real estate market: September reflects horror stories for the market, much like the previous months of the year. Recent reports and surveys for the month of September show staggering figures for the economy and personal finances. But if there is some grim news, there are also light and fun stories for real estate watchers.

The highlight for the month of September is the record low rates for 15- and 30-year mortgages. A September 30 report from Freddie Mac reveals that both 15- and 30-year mortgage rates have either met or exceeded what is currently on record, with 30-year mortgage rates averaging 4.32% for fixed mortgages. Though this bit of good news was expected to encourage people from purchasing a home, it did not create too much of a dent on home sales.

Consumer confidence is also at a low, making buyers less willing to make that leap to home ownership despite the low mortgage rates. Though the August to July existing home sales had a 7.6% difference in favor of the recent month, National Association of Realtors chief says this is subpar. Considering how mortgage rates are for the month, he had a point.

So why were people not buying homes in September? Census Bureau’s American Community Survey provided an answer in a September 28 report: more than 20% of Americans can barely afford to rent what more to buy a home. Including utilities, housing costs take 35% of income according to two-fifths of the respondents.

Even commercial real estate properties are seeing plummeting prices. Current prices are only a 0.9% improvement versus what was seen in the October 2009 recession low, as reflected in the Moody’s/REAL All Property Type Aggregate Index.

Perhaps next to the mortgage rates, another thing that really caught the attention of real estate watchers is the ongoing investigations on lenders. The month of September was first buzzed with news of GMAC Mortgage, a unit of Ally Financial, being under investigation by attorneys general in Iowa, Illinois and Texas because of a December 2009 allegation by an employee that the lending company signed off on foreclosures without verifying accuracy of borrower’s loan records. Before the month ended, JPMorgan Chase and Co. was also put under scrutiny by lawyers in Florida.

As always, though, there are exceptions to the rule as the month of September also includes successful property purchases and sales by celebrities. Both Chris Bosh and LeBron James scored real estate slam dunks: Bosh bought a $12.5 million, seven-bedroom house in Miami Beach and James paid for a four-bedroom pad in Coconut Grove. Even the Olsen twins were able to sell their unoccupied 6,000-square foot condo in New York – the property sold for less than the initial asking price of $11.995 million at $7.7 million, which is still $300,000 more than what the twins paid for the unit back in 2004.

Perhaps in time for Halloween, the Amityville Horror House – a Dutch Colonial house in Long Island, New York – gets a new owner in the person of Caroline and David D’Antonio, who paid $950,000 for the house which they are calling their “dream house”. First known as the site of a brutal 1974 murder by Ronald DeFeo Jr. of his mother, father and four siblings, the Amityville Horror House became more famous as Jay Anson wrote a book on the Lutz family’s horrific experience in the house. The D’Antonios claim that they are not afraid that the house may be haunted but are worried about the possible throng of fans for Halloween.