Enthusiasm may be moving into housing

By the numbers: An index tracking applications rose 9.6% from a week earlier to its highest level in more than a month and MBA's refinancing index increased 13% from the previous week and 188% from the same week one year ago.

What they're saying: “Last week was a solid week for homebuyers," says Joel Kan, MBA's associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting, says in a release accompanying the data.

• "Low supply and high home prices remain a key characteristic of this fall’s housing market, which is why the largest growth in activity continues to be in loans with higher loan balances.”

Go deeper: More couples are living together despite fewer marriages