July 26, 2024
Mortgage

Mortgage rates inch higher, but home-buying demand is growing


Published: Jan. 11, 2024 at 12:26 p.m. ET

Mortgage rates rose slightly in the latest week, but that didn’t deter home buyers.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose and averaged 6.66% as of January 11, according to data released by Freddie Mac FMCC on Thursday. 

It’s up 4 basis points from the previous week — one basis point is equal to one-hundredth of one percentage point. 

A…

Mortgage rates rose slightly in the latest week, but that didn’t deter home buyers.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose and averaged 6.66% as of January 11, according to data released by Freddie Mac

FMCC

on Thursday. 

It’s up 4 basis points from the previous week — one basis point is equal to one-hundredth of one percentage point. 

A year ago, the 30-year was averaging at 6.33%.

The average rate on the 15-year mortgage was 5.87%, down from 5.89% last week. The 15-year was at 5.52% a year ago.

Freddie Mac’s weekly report on mortgage rates is based on thousands of applications received from lenders across the country that are submitted to Freddie Mac when a borrower applies for a mortgage. 

Separate data by Mortgage News Daily said that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was averaging at 6.78% as of Thursday afternoon.

What Freddie Mac said: “Mortgage rates have not moved materially over the last three weeks and remain in the mid-six percent range, which has marginally increased homebuyer demand,” Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac, said in a statement.

“Even this slight uptick in demand, combined with inventory that remains tight, continues to cause prices to rise faster than incomes, meaning affordability remains a major headwind for buyers,” he added. 

What are they saying? “With rates expected to remain below 7 percent for the foreseeable future, [the Mortgage Bankers’ Association] anticipates renewed activity in the housing market heading into the spring, especially if housing supply continues to rise,” MBA’s president and CEO Bob Broeksmit said in a statement.



Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. View more
Accept
Decline