Mortgage rates have been steadily declining over several months. However, its demand has increased in light of buyers who are trying to find lower mortgage rates.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage applications increased by 3.2% last week compared to the week prior. For instance, the interest rates for 30-year-fixed rate mortgages slightly increased from 6.41% to 6.42%. These are for those with loan balances starting at $647,000 or less. Meanwhile, the interest rates dropped as per the latest consumer price index.
Compared to a year ago, mortgage applications are steeply lower. However, the application rates considerably rose compared to weeks ago. For instance, mortgage applications in refinancing home loans increased by 3% last week than its previous week. Moreover, the mortgage applications in purchasing homes spiked by 4% for this week more than a week ago. However, a year ago, the mortgage for home refinancing was 85% higher and 38% higher for mortgage applications to purchase a home.
“The ongoing moderation in home-price growth, along with further declines in mortgage rates, may encourage more buyers to return to the market in the coming months,” said MBA economist Joel Kan.
“A friendly enough Fed could easily break the range, but we have doubts about how much fuel the Fed will want to add to the fire. If anything, the Fed is more likely to try to temper the exuberance. Because the exuberance is counterproductive to the Fed’s goals,” added Matthew Graham, Mortgage Daily News chief operating officer.
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Dropping mortgage rates
Mortgage News Daily reported a 6.28% decrease in 30-year fixed mortgages, marking its lowest since September. In addition, the consumer price index in November showed low application activity, which could serve as a basis for consumers to pattern their spending behavior. The report caused a chain reaction among investors and mortgage rates.
“The second consecutive month of reassuring CPI data continues to build a case that inflation has turned a corner, but rates will be careful about reading too much into that potential shift given the volatility of the data in recent months,” said Graham.
“The bond market will also want to see what the Fed does with this info in tomorrow’s updated Fed rate forecasts in the dot plot,” he added.
During the start of this year, mortgage rates began increasing, continuing throughout the spring and summer. As a result, the housing market went into a stagnant condition, impeding investors and buyers from purchasing in the market. Home sales were down for more than nine months, reaching over a 24% decline year-over-year in October. Fortunately, mortgage rates in November dipped as a sign of the inflation cooling. According to experts, this may suggest a boost in the housing market.
“There are some very, very modest green shoots over the last few weeks, as rates have come down, but I am not ready to get sucked back into the conversation we had in August when we felt better,” said the CEO of Toll Brothers, Doug Yearley.
“There have been a handful of pieces of relatively good news for the housing market lately, but we’re far from out of the woods. Key indicators of homebuying demand will likely be teetering on a knife’s edge with every data release that comes out related to the Fed’s path to eventually bringing rates down,” added economist Taylor Marr from Redfin.
Far from the ideal
Even with the good news, consumer mortgage rate locks were still low. Rate locks are significant indicators of the spending behavior of home buyers. According to Black Knight, a mortgage data firm, rate locks were down 22% in October, marking a 48% year-over-year decline.
“It’s still extremely unaffordable even with rates coming down, even with prices coming down in each of the last four months. We’re still less affordable than we were at the peak of the market in 2006, and you see that play out in the rate lock numbers,” explained Andrew Walden from Black Knight.
“As we move throughout 2023, you’re going to see prices continue to soften. You’re going to see incomes hopefully continue to grow and eat up some of that gap. And I think we are going to see rates come down from where they are today, but it’s going to take an extended period to get there,” he added.
Walden explained that inventory is still down by 40% of what is ideal for the industry. He said the current rates and economic conditions cause homebuilders to pull back. As a result, it would also affect sellers. While there has been a decrease in rates and prices, the current value of houses in the market is still comparably higher than they were years ago. And as such, it would mean lower spending among buyers.
Read Also: What Raising Mortgage Rates Mean For First Time Home Buyers
Sticking to budget
October marked the ninth month where home sales dipped, caused by higher interest rates and inflation. According to many experts, the surge in home prices stops buyers from purchasing homes at the moment.
“Inventory levels are still tight, which is why some homes for sale still receive multiple offers. In October, 24% of homes received over the asking price. Conversely, homes sitting on the market for more than 120 days saw prices reduced by an average of 15.8%,” explained Lawrence Yun, an economist from NAR.
“For many, the week-to-week volatility in mortgage rates alone, which in 2022 has been three times what was typical, may be a good reason to wait. However, with week-to-week changes in mortgage rates causing $100+ swings in monthly housing costs for a median-priced home, it’s tough to know how to set and stick to a budget,” added Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale.
Photo Credit: Getty Images from Forbes
Source: CNBC
