Mortgage applications declined at the end of the year, but Capital Economics expects applications to rise this year as both the housing market and broader economy continue to improve.

Analysts at Clear Capital say the housing market today may be a real-life representation of the old Aesop fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare."

Confidence in housing among the Realtor crowd increased slightly in November, though concerns about credit availability continue to temper that optimism. A survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that among who reported transactions in November but ultimately did not close a sale, 9 percent said the homebuyer could not obtain financing, and of those, 6 percent reported the buyer gave up on purchasing the home. If lenders returned to "normal" credit standards, NAR says as many as 500,000 more sales could occur.

As new regulations go into effect and a new mortgage market takes shape this year, lenders and originators must reconsider current relationships and look for partnerships that synch with their priorities, according to Hammerhouse Strategic Growth Partners. Hammerhouse has dubbed 2014 "the year of the originator free agency," stating in a recent release, "[T]he key trend impacting the residential mortgage market in 2014 will be the development of the free agency market for successful mortgage originators."

Construction spending in November reached an estimated seasonally adjusted rate of $934.4 billion, up from $925.1 billion in October and $882.7 billion in November 2012, according to the Census Bureau. Private residential construction spending rose 1.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted $345.5 billion in November. Year-over-year private residential construction spending increased 16.6 percent. Single-family construction spending rose 1.8 percent over the month, while multifamily construction spending rose 0.9 percent.

Fannie Mae's book of business increased for the second month in a row in November, marking the fourth month of increases in 2013, according to the GSE's monthly volume report. Fannie Mae's book of business grew at a compounded annualized rate of 0.1 percent in November, down from 0.8 percent in October. Fannie's total book of business is valued at $3.17 trillion as of November, while its total mortgage portfolio totals $496 billion.

Freddie Mac's total book of business decreased at an annualized rate of 2 percent in November compared to an annualized rate of 6.4 percent in October, according to the GSE's latest monthly volume report.

As prices continue rising in the new year--albeit at a slower pace--investors will begin to ease back from the purchase market, but repeat home buyers will be there to pick up the slack, according to Trulia's predictions. "2013 was the year of the investor, but 2014 will be the year of the repeat home buyer," said Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia. Other changes to the market in the new year include lower affordability, "less frenzied" home-buying, and a shift in the rental market from single-family homes to urban apartments.

Global economic growth will increase from 2.5 percent this year to 3.3 percent in the new year, with the U.S. economy growing 2.6 percent, up from 1.7 percent this year, according to IHS Chief Economist Nariman Behravesh and IHS Chief U.S. Economist Doug Handler. Europe's recovery "will proceed, but at a very sluggish pace," with growth reaching 0.8 percent, up from -0.4 percent this year. Meanwhile, the dollar will gain strength as the Fed tapers its stimulus while other central banks continue theirs, according to IHS.

The new year will bring some clarity to the housing market and likely some loosening of credit, though an air of mystery does still surround some aspects of the industry, according to FBR's outlook for 2014. With Mel Watt, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, taking the helm at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and three openings at the Federal Reserve, some uncertainty persists despite some clarity surrounding Qualified Mortgages (QM) and other regulations in the housing industry.