” Mortgage rates have been holding steady over the past two months ” says Deputy chief economist .
Borrowing costs haven’t budged much in recent weeks, offering some relief from the weekly amount increases that had almost become routine at the start of 2018. “Mortgage rates have been holding steady over the past two months,” says Len Kiefer, Freddie Mac’s deputy chief economist. “The amounts have bounced around 4.4 percent since mid-February. Rates could break out and head higher if inflation continues to firm. … If inflation continues to trend higher, we may see two or three more rate hikes from the Fed this year, and mortgage rates could follow. For now, mortgage amounts are still quite low by historical standards, helping to support homebuyer affordability as the spring home buying season ramps up.” Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending April 12:- 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.42 percent, with an average 0.4 point, up from last week’s 4.40 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.08 percent.
- 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.87 percent, with an average 0.4 point, holding the same average as last week. A year ago, 15-year amounts averaged 3.34 percent.
- 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 3.61 percent, with an average 0.3 point, dropping from last week’s 3.62 percent average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.18 percent.
