Mortgages & Rates
Mortgage rate movements, refinancing, loan types, rate locks, lender comparisons, and how interest rates affect housing affordability.
Latest in Mortgages & Rates
30-year mortgage rates climbed to 6.20% this week — up 11 basis points — as Iran-driven inflation fears erase the spring rate dip
The spring discount on mortgage rates is gone. Borrowers shopping for a 30-year fixed-rate loan this week face a rate of 6.20%, according to the...
The 30-year mortgage just climbed back to 6.46% — erasing most of the spring rate dip as Iran war inflation pushes bond yields higher
The spring rate dip that coaxed cautious homebuyers off the sidelines is effectively gone. According to the latest Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the...
Freddie Mac’s Q1 net income jumped 27% to $3.6B as purchase mortgage applications rose 20% year-over-year
Freddie Mac earned $3.6 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a 27% increase over the $2.8 billion it posted a year earlier, as a...
Mortgage rates jumped back to 6.30% this week, snapping a 3-week decline — and oil prices are the reason
The three-week streak of falling mortgage rates is over. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed to 6.30% for the week ending May...
U.S. housing market braces for another slow summer as rates stay high
For the third straight year, the summer homebuying season is arriving with a familiar problem: the numbers do not work for millions of Americans. The...
Zillow flags a major shift in homebuying as mortgage rates bite
A few years ago, a household earning $90,000 could comfortably finance a $400,000 home. Today, with the 30-year fixed mortgage rate near 6.8% according to...
Mortgage rates dip again, easing the lock-in effect for would-be sellers
Mortgage rates dip again, easing the lock-in effect for would-be sellers The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped for the third straight week this spring,...
Mortgage rates fell for the third straight week — the 30-year fixed dropped to 6.23%, its lowest since mid-March
For the third week in a row, mortgage rates moved in borrowers’ favor. The average 30-year fixed rate slipped to 6.23% for the week ending...
Existing home sales fell to the lowest level in 9 months — and mortgage rates just ticked back up to 6.05%
Spring is supposed to be when the housing market wakes up. In 2026, it hit the snooze button. Existing home sales slid 3.6% from February...
Is 6.05% a good enough mortgage rate to buy now — or should you wait for a number that might never come?
A couple pre-approved for $400,000 this month faces a question that no spreadsheet can fully answer: lock in a 30-year mortgage at 6.05%, or hold...
Mortgage rates hit 6.02% and could dip below 6% — here’s what that means for your monthly payment
A few weeks ago, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell below 6% for the first time since the fall of 2022. The Associated Press...
Should you refinance your mortgage right now at 6.02% — or wait for sub-6% rates that may never come?
Homeowners who locked in a mortgage at 7% or higher during the 2022-2023 rate spike have spent the better part of two years watching rates...
Should you tap your home equity right now? Here’s how to decide without regret
A homeowner who bought a modest three-bedroom house in 2019 might open a mortgage statement today and see something startling: six figures of equity that...
30-year fixed mortgage drops to 6.30% — Fannie Mae revises year-end forecast upward to 6.1%
Spring homebuyers caught a small break this week: the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 6.30%, its second consecutive weekly decline and...
30-year mortgage drops to 6.30%, lowest in 4 weeks — Fannie Mae forecasts under 6% by year-end
Mortgage rates fell for the second straight week, with the average 30-year fixed rate dropping to 6.30% for the week ending April 16, 2026, according...
The states where property taxes, insurance, and HOA fees make ownership most expensive in 2026
A homeowner in suburban New Jersey can easily spend $9,500 a year in property taxes, $2,400 on insurance, and $4,200 in HOA dues before making...
Trump’s $200B Fannie/Freddie mortgage-bond order — did it actually lower rates?
On January 8, 2026, President Trump posted a blunt promise on social media: he was directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion...
30-year mortgage drops to 6.12%, lowest in 4 weeks on Iran-ceasefire bond rally
A homebuyer borrowing $400,000 this week will pay about $85 less per month than one who locked in a mortgage just two weeks ago. The...
2.6M U.S. homeowners now pay $500+ per month in HOA fees; condos in major metros push $350–$700/month
A homeowner in a mid-rise condo outside Miami might pay $650 a month in association fees. A retiree in a Chicago high-rise could owe $475....
New Fannie/Freddie loan-level buydown disclosures take effect April 20
For the first time, investors buying mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will be able to see exactly which loans in a pool...