雅虎香港財經 Mortgage rates surpass 7% while home prices show no signs of declining
Housing economist: ‘It remains unclear how many homebuyers can withstand the increasing rates.'
Would-be homebuyers have no choice but to deal with elevated rates if they want to buy this spring.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed loan hit 7.1%, according to Freddie Mac. That’s the first time the weekly average has exceeded 7% this year and a significant jump from last week’s 6.88% mark.
A separate index tracking daily rate changes found even bigger swings. The daily average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage hit 7.43% on Thursday, a steep climb from barely 7% at the beginning of the month, according to Mortgage News Daily. The daily average has risen nearly a half-point over the past three weeks and shows little signs of easing following an inflation reading this month that came in hotter than expected.
While elevated rates have cornered both first-time and repeat homebuyers, others are moving to secure their purchase before rates tilt any higher.
“As rates trend higher, potential homebuyers are deciding whether to buy before rates rise even more or hold off in hopes of decreases later this year,” said Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac. “Last week, purchase applications rose modestly, but it remains unclear how many homebuyers can withstand increasing rates in the future.”
Read more: Mortgage rates today, April 18: Rates cross the 7% mark
Homebuyers race to beat rate hikes
While higher mortgage rates may have ebbed demand for some segments of the buyer pool, demand for mortgage applications increased for the second week in a row.
The volume of purchase applications rose by 5% during the week ending April 12, after slipping by 5% one week earlier, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey found. Still, purchase activity remained 10% below last year’s pace.
Meanwhile, the share of refinance applications was rather tepid, rising just 0.5%, following a 10% jump the week prior. The recent surge in refinance demand stemmed from government loan applicants eager to snag a lower rate.
Overall, demand for all mortgage applications rose just 3.3% from one week ago — a bit of a slow start to the spring season.
“Despite these higher rates, application activity picked up, possibly as some borrowers decided to act in case rates continue to rise,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist.
'The spring housing market has not sprung'
On the other hand, sales of previously owned homes were lackluster in March.
Existing home sales retreated more than 4% in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.19 million, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Thursday. Sales were down nearly 4% compared to a year ago.
At the same time, the median price for existing home sales rose 5% from March 2023 to $393,500, marking the ninth consecutive month of year-over-year increases. The reading was the highest price for the month of March.
All four US regions posted price gains.
“Though rebounding from cyclical lows, home sales are stuck because interest rates have not made any major moves,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun in a statement. “There are nearly 6 million more jobs now compared to pre-COVID years, which suggests more aspiring homebuyers exist in the market.”
Read more: Mortgage rates top 7% — is this a good time to buy a house?
Still, buyers are facing headwinds as home prices slumped demand in most of the country.
In the Midwest, sales of previously owned homes retreated nearly 6% from February and were down 1% from a year earlier. The average price in the Midwest was $292,400, up over 7% from last year.
Sales in the South fell nearly 6% from a month ago and were down 5% from March 2023. The median price was $359,100, up over 3% from a year earlier.
Meanwhile, in the West, existing home sales plunged a little over 8% from February, a decline of roughly 4% compared to March 2023. The median price in the West was $603,000, up almost 7% from a year ago.
The Northeast was the only outlier, where home sales increased 4% from February, ending a four-month streak. Sales were down nearly 4%% compared to last March, and the median price was $434,600 — up a staggering 10% from the previous year.
It’s not a surprise: Elevated rates, still-high home prices, and tight inventory continue to burden would-be buyers this season.
"The spring housing market has not sprung,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union. “Potential buyers are ready to pounce when rates drop, and frustration has been building given Federal Reserve rate cuts, which influence mortgage rates, were forecast to have started already, but now are delayed as inflation remains stuck above 3%."
Gabriella Cruz-Martinez is a personal finance and housing reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @__gabriellacruz.
