Mortgage Rate Lock Expiring Because You Can’t Find a Home to Buy?

The first step to take when buying a home is to apply for a mortgage loan. The next step would ideally be to lock in a mortgage rate, especially these days since mortgage rates are so low and on the rise. Most lenders will give you a 30 day to 45 day lock period on a rate so you have time to find the right home and still get the rate you were quoted.

Since single family home prices are significantly lower than the highs during the housing bubble, now is a good time to buy a home but you may not be able to find the home you're looking for right away. The inventory of homes available for sale is low and demand is the highest it has been in years. This perfect storm is forcing home prices higher across the country.

The Federal Reserve Board's Beige Book of Current Economic Conditions showed that in most of the 12 Federal Reserve's Districts, low home inventory and bidding wars are driving home prices higher. Other housing reports released over the past couple of months show housing prices increasing in the low double digits the past 12 months. This signifies the highest rate increases since the housing bubble.

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

Show Advertiser Disclosure

The lenders whose rates and other terms appear on this chart are ICB'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 #1835285

5.440%

15-Year Fixed

5.250%

$5,000

Includes 0.750 points for $3,000

Lender Fees: $2,000

$3,216 /mo

Next >

NMLS #401822

5.535%

15-Year Fixed

5.250%

$7,500

Includes 0.875 points for $3,500

Lender Fees: $4,000

$3,216 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1025894

5.762%

15-Year Fixed

5.625%

$3,544

Includes 0.711 points for $2,844

Lender Fees: $700

$3,295 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1835285

6.128%

30-Year Fixed

6.000%

$5,500

Includes 0.875 points for $3,500

Lender Fees: $2,000

$2,399 /mo

Next >

NMLS #3030

6.407%

15-Year Fixed

6.250%

$4,000

Includes 1.000 points for $4,000

Lender Fees: $0

$3,430 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1025894

6.590%

30-Year Fixed

6.490%

$4,168

Includes 0.867 points for $3,468

Lender Fees: $700

$2,526 /mo

Next >

NMLS #401822

6.758%

30-Year Fixed

6.625%

$5,495

Includes 0.875 points for $3,500

Lender Fees: $1,995

$2,562 /mo

Next >

NMLS #1835285

6.764%

5-Year ARM

6.625%

$5,780

Includes 0.945 points for $3,780

Lender Fees: $2,000

$2,562 /mo

Next >

NMLS #3030

7.187%

30-Year Fixed

7.125%

$2,500

Includes 0.625 points for $2,500

Lender Fees: $0

$2,695 /mo

Next >

Rate data provided by RateUpdate.com. Displayed by ICB, a division of 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.

Despite these facts on the current housing market, you should still find out how much of a loan you can quality for and lock in a rate. Getting a lender's commitment letter can help you in an instance when you are not the only bidder on a home. Granted, the lock might expire but lenders usually allow you to pay a fee to extend the lock.

Whether or not you want to extend a lock depends on the rate you locked in and where mortgage rates are today. You should weigh the cost of reapplying for a loan versus the cost of extending a rate lock. Since the beginning of 2013, mortgage rates have risen from record lows set in late 2012 and they've fallen again the past month.

For 30 year mortgage rates, the low point in 2013 was 3.35 percent and the high point was 3.63 percent (Freddie Mac's average 30 year rates). Chances are the rate you locked in falls within the averages, which may make extending the lock the best course of action.