The average rate offered to homebuyers using a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage edged down to 3.85% from 3.87% the previous business day, backing further away from last week’s 3.95%, the highest we’d seen since 2020. The average for a 15-year fixed mortgage stayed at 2.97%, continuing to hover below the 3.07% seen last week, also a high point since 2020. Rates on most other major types of home loans fell or held steady. Fixed mortgage rates tend to track the direction of 10-year Treasury yields, which usually rise with heightened inflation fears (and fall when those fears subside.) Yields have eased off a bit since a big spike this month prompted by Federal Reserve signals that it would raise benchmark interest rates as early as March to control inflation at a four-decade high. It’s unclear whether the uptick following Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s remarks Wednesday is reflected in the data yet or not. Even at their recent highs, mortgages were pretty affordable by historic standards. According to a Freddie Mac measure that dates back farther than our data, 15-year and 30-year mortgages average less than a percentage point higher than the record lows reached last year. Three years ago, the average 30-year was almost 5%, and at the start of the 1990s, it was around 10%. During the pandemic, these relatively low rates have bolstered buying power, allowing house hunters to buy more expensive homes with the same monthly budget and helping to fuel a fiercely competitive residential real estate boom that had only recently begun to show signs of slight cooling. For the same reasons, the uptick in rates over the past few months has discouraged borrowing, in particular refinancing activity. A measure of refinancing applications is down 53% from a year ago.
30-Year Mortgage Rates Are Mixed
A 30-year fixed mortgage is by far the most common type of mortgage because it offers a consistent and relatively low monthly payment. (Shorter-term fixed mortgages have higher payments because the borrowed money is paid back more quickly.) Besides conventional 30-year mortgages, some are backed by the Federal Housing Authority or the Department of Veterans Affairs. FHA loans offer borrowers with lower credit scores or a smaller down payment a better deal than they might otherwise get; VA loans let current or past members of the military and their families skip a down payment.
30-year fixed: The average rate fell to 3.85%, down from 3.87% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.95%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $468.81, or $5.73 less than a week ago.30-year fixed (FHA): The average rate fell to 3.71% from 3.72% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.92%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $460.85, or $11.96 less than a week ago.30-year fixed (VA): The average rate rose to 3.78% from 3.77% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.97%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments will cost about $464.82, or $10.87 less than a week ago.
15-Year Mortgage Rate Holds Steady
The major advantage of a 15-year fixed mortgage is that it offers a lower interest rate than the 30-year and you’re paying off your loan more quickly, so your total borrowing costs are far lower. But for the same reason—that the loan is paid back over a shorter time frame—the monthly payments will be higher.
15-year fixed: The average rate remained at 2.97%, unchanged from the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.07%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $689.14, or $4.81 less than a week ago.
Jumbo Mortgage Rates Are Flat
Jumbo loans, which allow you to borrow bigger amounts for more expensive properties, tend to have slightly higher interest rates than loans for more standard amounts. Jumbo means over the limit that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are willing to buy from lenders, and that limit went up in 2022. For a single-family home, it’s now $647,200 (except in Hawaii, Alaska, and a few federally designated high-cost markets, where the limit is $970,800.)
Jumbo 30-year fixed: The average rate was 3.6%, the same as the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.7%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $454.65, or $5.63 less than a week ago.Jumbo 15-year fixed: The average rate remained at 3.27%, unchanged from the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.4%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $703.64, or $6.34 less than a week ago.
Refinance Rates Fall Slightly or Hold Steady
Refinancing an existing mortgage tends to be slightly more expensive than getting a new one, especially in a low-rate environment.
30-year fixed: The average rate to refinance fell to 3.98% from 4% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 4.06%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $476.26, or $4.62 less than a week ago.15-year fixed: The average rate to refinance remained at 3.09%, unchanged from the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.19%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments at that rate will cost about $694.92, or $4.84 less than a week ago.
Methodology
Our rates for “today” reflect national averages provided by more than 200 of the country’s top lenders one business day ago, and the “previous” is the rate provided the business day before that. Similarly, the week earlier references compare the data from five business days earlier (so bank holidays are excluded.) The rates assume a loan-to-value ratio of 80% and a borrower with a FICO credit score of 700 to 759—within the “good” to “very good” range. They’re representative of the rates customers would see in actual quotes from lenders, based on their qualifications, and may vary from advertised teaser rates. Have a question, comment, or story to share? You can reach Diccon at dhyatt@thebalance.com.
