The average rate offered to homebuyers using a conventional 30-year fixed mortgage—the most popular type of home loan—fell to 3.58% from 3.60% the previous business day, when it was the highest it had been since 2020. The average for a 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 2.61% from 2.64% the previous business day. 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 fell after the emergence of the omicron variant of COVID-19 late last year fueled uncertainty about whether the economy would slow down significantly, but have surged this week (albeit with intraday swings), amid signals that the Federal Reserve will raise benchmark interest rates and pull back on pandemic relief efforts sooner than expected. Even when it was the highest since 2020, the 30-year average was still pretty low by historic standards. According to a Freddie Mac measure that dates back farther than our data, the 30-year hasn’t gone more than about half a percentage point higher than its record low of last winter. Three years ago, it was almost 5% and at the start of the 1990s, 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 has only recently begun to cool slightly. For the same reasons, the uptick in rates over the past few months has discouraged borrowing, in particular refinancing activity. An index measuring the volume of applications to refinance an existing mortgage is down 41% in the last 12 months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
30-Year Mortgage Rates Dip
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 3.58%, down from 3.6% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.49%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $453.52, or $5.03 more than a week ago.30-year fixed (FHA): The average rate fell to 3.39% from 3.41% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.25%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $442.93, or $7.72 more than a week ago.30-year fixed (VA): The average rate fell to 3.44% from 3.45% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.34%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments will cost about $445.70, or $5.54 more than a week ago.
15-Year Mortgage Rate Falls
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 fell to 2.61%, down from 2.64% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 2.55%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $671.98, or $2.83 more than a week ago.
Jumbo Mortgage Rates Hold Steady
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 those limits are about to go up. In 2022, the limit for a single-family home will now be $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 remained at 3.4%, unchanged from the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.45%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $443.48, or $2.78 less than a week ago.Jumbo 15-year fixed: The average rate was 3.27%, the same as the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.51%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $703.64, or $11.73 less than a week ago.
Refinance Rates Decrease
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 3.71% from 3.73% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 3.65%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments would cost about $460.85, or $3.39 more than a week ago.15-year fixed: The average rate to refinance fell to 2.72% from 2.75% the previous business day. A week ago, it was 2.66%. For every $100,000 borrowed, monthly payments at that rate will cost about $677.20, or $2.85 more 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.
