Low Mortgage Rates Entice Buyers – Home Sales at Highest Pace in 9 Years

Near record low mortgage rates have enticed home buyers this spring, sending existing home sales to their fastest pace in nine years. 30 year mortgage rates are averaging 3.73 percent today, about 30 basis points above the all-time record low set three years ago.

The National Association of REALTORS® reported existing home sales are up 1.8 percent month-over-month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.53 million in May. This is the third consecutive month for gains in existing-home sales. Home sales are now up 4.5 percent from a year ago and are at the highest annual pace since February 2007, at the height of the housing boom.

Mortgage rates are expected to stay near these current low levels for the rest of 2016. Low rates will continue to spur home sales this year. While home sales are strong, the low number of homes available for sale continues to hamper many markets.

Loan Type

Purchase Refinance with Cash out Refinance

State

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District Of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

FICO Score

Superior (780-850) Exceptional (760-779) Excellent (740-759) Very Good (720-739) Good (700-719) Above Average (680-699) Average (660-679) Fair (640-659) Need Improvement (620-639) Poor (350-620)

Loan Amount

$

Points

Up to 0 points Up to 0.5 points Up to 1 points Up to 1.5 points Up to 2 points Up to 2.5 points Up to 3 points

LTV

%

Loan Term

 15-Year Fixed  20-Year Fixed  30-Year Fixed  5-Year ARM  7-Year ARM  10-Year ARM

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The lenders whose rates and other terms appear on this chart are MRC's advertising partners. They provide their rate information to our data partner RateUpdate.com. Unless adjusted by the consumer, advertisers are sorted by APR from lowest to highest. For any advertising partners that do not provide their rate they are listed in advertisement display units at the bottom of the chart. Advertising partners may not pay to improve the frequency priority or prominence of their display. The interest rates, annual percentage rates and other terms advertised here are estimates provided by those advertising partners based on the information you entered above and do not bind. Any lender Monthly payment amounts stated do not include amounts for taxes and insurance premiums. The actual payment obligation will be greater if taxes and insurance are included. Although our data partner RateUpdate.com collects the information from the financial institutions themselves, the accuracy of the data cannot be guaranteed. Rates may change without notice and can change intraday. Some of the information contained in the rate tables including but not limited to special marketing notes is provided directly by the lenders. Please verify the rates and offers before applying for a loan with the financial institution themselves. No rate is binding until locked by a lender.

Lender

APR / Rate

Fees / Points

Payment

NMLS #2473786

4.779%

15-Year Fixed

4.625%

$4,119

Includes 0.756 points for $3,024

Lender Fees: $1,095

$3,086 /mo

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NMLS #2473786

4.972%

5-Year ARM

4.875%

$4,451

Includes 0.839 points for $3,356

Lender Fees: $1,095

$2,117 /mo

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NMLS #2473786

5.587%

30-Year Fixed

5.490%

$4,295

Includes 0.800 points for $3,200

Lender Fees: $1,095

$2,269 /mo

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Rate data provided by RateUpdate.com. Displayed by Mortgage Research Center, NMLS #1907, Equal Housing Opportunity. Payments do not include taxes and insurance premiums. Actual payments will be greater with taxes and insurance included. Rate and product details.

The high demand for homes and the low supply of homes available for sale has sent housing prices higher. In fact, the median sales price for all housing types climbed to an all-time high of $239,700 in May. The median sales prices is up 4.7 percent from a year earlier.

Low refinance rates are also enticing homeowners who have a mortgage to refinance their loan. The Mortgage Bankers Association® reported mortgage applications are up 35 percent from a year ago. The refinance share of all mortgage application activity increased to 57.7 percent.