If you’ve found yourself confused by recent headlines relating to mortgage interest rate, you are not alone! When reliable sources report contradictory information, even the leaders in the industry are left scratching their heads.
In a recent article on Reuters.com they report that “Fed officials agreed last month to leave interest rates near zero and to keep purchasing $120 billion a month in bonds until the U.S. economy makes substantial further progress toward the Fed’s goals for inflation and maximum employment” They further inform us that “Fed Bank President Robert Kaplan said on Monday that he still thinks it is possible the U.S. central bank could raise interest rates before the end of 2022, reaffirming the projection he made during the March policy-setting meeting.“
MortgageNewsDaily.com reports that according to Ice Mortgage Technology (formerly Ellie Mae), in their Loan Origination Report for January, “closed loans continued to show declining note rates in January, dropping from an average of 2.93 percent in December to 2.88 percent” and also includes “Interest rates continued to decline in January, driving up the share of refinances by seven percent,”
There is a lot of talk and prediction about the future of mortgage interest rates and home sales prices. The variables that lie in the future for both of these topics will happen. What does this mean for those of us who are considering refinancing or purchasing a home? It means that interest rates and home prices may go up or may go down.
A recent article on CNBC.com, written by Jeff Cox, and Titled: Fed holds rates steady near zero and indicates it will stay there for years, includes the following statement “Projections from individual members also indicated that rates could stay anchored near zero through 2023. All but four members indicated they see zero rates through then. This was the first time the committee forecast its outlook for 2023.” The article details the projections and expectations of the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee.
The year of 2020 will be remembered by many people and for many reasons. The year was rocked by a pandemic with a ripple effect that created an economic recession; complex social unrest; and a highly polarized presidential election. Oh, and let’s not forget it was also a year of historically damaging wildfires and hurricanes!
Home owners and home buyers across the nation are thrilled to have an opportunity to secure a mortgage rate that is the lowest rate ever offered in the US. During a year that has seen a pandemic and civil unrest, the nation also enters a time where the average lender is offering mortgage rates that are below 3%.
The percentage of refinance loans increased to 55% in March, with growth occurring across every type of loan. The average interest rate for 30 year fixed rate loans in March was the lowest it has been since January of 2013.
Mortgage rates were low in January and continued to fall to historic lows in February. According to many sources, now is a great time to refinance a home, or get a great mortgage on a home purchase.
Debates about the future of our national economy have always involved many different viewpoints and opinions. Economic advisors and experts build their opinions on a variety of factors, and it is interesting to read their diverse projections. One thing they cannot debate is the fact that our nation has had a decade of low interest rates.