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The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported that 61.8 percent of new and existing homes sold from July through September were affordable to American households earning the median U.S. income of $63,900. That was down from the 62.6 percent of homes sold that were affordable to median-income earners in the second quarter.

MBA released on Thursday its Builder Applications Survey for October, revealing an 8 percent monthly pickup in new home purchase applications after a flat September. Mike Fratantoni, chief economist for the group, noted that the biggest increase came in applications for higher-priced homes.

Mortgage finance customers in the last year rated their experience as a C-plus, according to a recent report from J.D. Power, with overall satisfaction averaging 786 on a 1,000-point scale. That compares to a rating of 771 in the company's 2013 survey.

Speaking at an investor conference in New York, BofA chief Brian Moynihan said his firm—frequently listed among the top five mortgage lenders in the nation—has little incentive "to try to create more mortgage availability where the customers are susceptible to default."

According to CoreLogic, cash sales made up 33.8 percent of total home sales in August, down from 36.4 percent the year prior. Cash sales peaked at a share of 46.3 percent in 2011 and have fallen continually on a yearly basis every month since the start of 2013.

In a quarterly survey of more than 100 real estate experts and economists, real estate data firm Zillow found 40 percent of respondents believe it will take another three to five years for the housing market to normalize, based on current home price trends and homebuyer activity.

Based on appraisal data from around the country, Quicken Loans reported Tuesday that home values were up 2.03 percent from September to October. At the metro level, values were up month-to-month in 15 of the 27 largest markets.

With the midterm election in the rearview, Democrats are circling the wagons to protect what will certainly be a top priority on the Republicans' list of changes to make—the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

In a panel at the 2014 Realtors Conference and Expo, experts discussed the changing face of American homebuyers and the potential effects of these changes on the housing market. One of the biggest topics for the panel was the state of millennial homeownership.

For months, NAHB has been reporting that recovery in the national and in most metro markets is inching its way back to normal levels. The latest report virtually mirrors the LMI report released in August, which stated that 56 of 350 metros were at or better than normal, and the national housing market overall was 89 percent of where it should be.