Falling Mortgage Rates Offer Affordability Relief | Realtor Magazine
Mortgage rates declined this week, marking the fourth drop in the past five weeks, Freddie Mac reports.
“The decrease in borrowing costs is a nice slice of relief for prospective buyers looking to get into the market this summer,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Some are undoubtedly feeling the affordability hit from swift price appreciation and mortgage rates that are still 67 basis points higher than this week a year ago.”
Overall, Khater says the economy and the housing market are on “solid footing” this summer, which should support continued strength in housing demand. “Home price growth is still high, but is expected to moderate, and while sales activity has slowed, it’s primarily because of stubbornly low supply,” Khater says.
Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending June 28:
- 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.55 percent, with an average 0.5 point, falling from last week’s 4.57 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 3.88 percent.
- 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.04 percent, with an average 0.5 point, which is unchanged from a week ago. Last year at this time, 15-year rates averaged 3.17 percent.
- 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.87 percent, with an average 0.3 point, rising from last week’s 3.83 percent average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.17 percent.