For 6th Straight Week, US Mortgage Rates Rise

The average on the key 30-year rate currently stands at 6.7%
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 29, 2022 2:15 PM CDT
For 6th Straight Week, US Mortgage Rates Rise
A for-sale-by-owner sign is displayed outside a home in Northbrook, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022.   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Average long-term US mortgage rates rose this week for the sixth straight week, marking new highs not seen in 15 years, before a crash in the housing market triggered the Great Recession. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate climbed to 6.70% from 6.29% last week. By contrast, the rate stood at 3.01% a year ago, reports the AP.

The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those looking to refinance their homes, jumped to 5.96% from 5.44% last week. Rapidly rising mortgage rates threaten to sideline even more homebuyers after more than doubling in 2022. Last year, prospective homebuyers were looking at rates well below 3%. MarketWatch cites a tweet from Bloomberg chief economist Michael McDonough, who said a buyer who put 20% down and wanted a $2,500 monthly mortgage payment could have purchased a $758,000 home in early 2021; at these rates, that would translate to a $476,000 home. (More mortgage rates stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X