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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) monthly survey of loan application volumes at home builders shows new home purchase activity was down 22 percent month-over-month in November, the group said Thursday. Looking at all indicators, MBA estimates new single-family home sales ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 401,000 units last month, a 13 percent drop from the association's October estimate.

Asking prices on for-sale homes jumped 1.5 percent month-over-month in November, outpacing a pre-revised increase of 1.0 percent in October, according to property data firm Trulia. Examining local market data, Trulia found increases were largely split along age lines, with asking prices rising faster in metros predominantly populated by Gen X, baby boomers, and senior Americans compared to those occupied by more millennials.

Cash sales accounted for 34.8 percent of total home sales, CoreLogic reported, down from 37.2 percent in September 2013. The share of cash sales has fallen annually every month since January 2013. Before the start of the housing crisis, the cash sales share of total homes averaged nearly 25 percent.

Quicken Loans' Home Price Perception Index, a measure of the gap between appraiser and homeowner opinions of home values, shows appraisers' home value estimates were on average 1.56 percent higher than homeowners nationally.

Looking at trends in incomes, home values, and rental prices in the third quarter, Zillow estimates that U.S. homeowners spend on average 15.3 percent of their income on monthly mortgage payments. For younger homebuyers, who typically make smaller down payments, that figure is only slightly higher: 17.4 percent.

According to survey results released by the Collingwood Group this week, 33 percent of mortgage lenders, servicers, and other industry professionals believe business conditions are "a little better" than they were last year. That compares to 31 percent of respondents who said the same thing in October.

The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index nudged up 1.2 percent in November, totaling 114.6 for the month. MBA's chief economist, Mike Fratantoni, said last month's uptick mostly came from the addition of jumbo loan programs that allow cash-out refinancing.

In a report released Monday, the Collingwood Group said that 65 percent of lenders and other mortgage industry workers support the push for GSE reform, calling their current state of conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency unsustainable. At the same time, none of the survey respondents called for a wind-down or elimination of the GSEs.

In its monthly National Housing Survey, Fannie Mae found consumer attitudes about the current state of the housing market ranged from flat to pessimistic in November after an October marked by more hopeful responses.

Out of 475 U.S. counties analyzed in the company's latest real estate report, 98—21 percent—had a higher affordability percentage than their historical average. In addition, 58 counties—12 percent of all markets analyzed—posted a median price higher than their bubble-era peaks as values continue to rise.