How high will 30 year mortgage rates go in 2023?
While mortgage forecasters base their projections on different data, most predict rates will remain near or above 7% for the rest of 2023. Here's a look at where some of the major housing authorities expect average mortgage rates to land at the end of the year.
Month | Average 30-Year Fixed Rate |
---|---|
October 2023 | 7.62% |
November 2023 | 7.44% |
December 2023 | 6.82% |
January 2024 | 6.64% |
After rising sharply through October 2023, mortgage rates have trended back down. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage was 6.84 percent as of Jan. 31, according to Bankrate's survey. This represents a welcome drop from 8.01 percent on Oct. 25.
Advertising Disclosure: When you use our links to explore products, we may earn a fee but that in no way affects our editorial independence. As a baseline scenario, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is expected to fall to the low-6% range through the end of 2024, dipping into high-5% territory by early 2025.
30-year mortgage rates are currently expected to fall to somewhere between 5.9% and 6.1% in 2024.
But barring any major shocks to the system, most analysts agree that mortgage rates are unlikely to return to 3% in the foreseeable future. Therefore, homebuyers who are waiting for a better deal may be disappointed and miss out on other opportunities in the housing market.
Even so, most housing market experts expect rates to decline over 2024, especially once the Federal Reserve begins cutting the federal funds rate—the overnight borrowing rate for commercial banks and credit unions that indirectly influences mortgage rates.
The lowest historical mortgage rate ever for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages was not all that long ago. In January 2021, due largely to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, mortgage rates sank to an all-time low of 2.65%, according to Freddie Mac. Mortgage rates stayed low all year, with an average rate of 2.96% in 2021.
Instead, we'll probably see some gradual 25-basis-point cuts here and there. If that happens, rates could fall to closer to 6% by the end of 2024. Channel expects rates to remain high compared to the levels seen during the height of the pandemic, when average 30-year mortgage rates were around 2.65%.
Mortgage rates have been historic in their own right during the past few years. The average 30-year fixed rate reached an all-time record low of 2.65% in January 2021 before surging to 7.79% in October 2023, according to Freddie Mac.
Where are 30-year mortgage rates headed?
Fannie Mae and the Mortgage Bankers Association predict that mortgage rates will drop in 2024. Fannie Mae, Mortgage Bankers Association and National Association of Realtors predict that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will decline at least half a percentage point through the middle of 2024.
In particular, the Federal Reserve had been buying billions of dollars of bonds in response to the pandemic's economic pressures. This bond-buying policy is a major influencer of mortgage rates. Between that time and July 2023, the Fed aggressively raised the federal funds rate to fight decades-high inflation.
From seven percent in the third quarter of 2023, the average 30-year mortgage rate is projected to reach 5.4 percent in 2026.
Source | Projected 30-year mortgage rate (by end of 2024) |
---|---|
Mortgage Bankers Association | 6.1% |
Fannie Mae | 5.8% |
Realtor.com | 6.5% |
Redfin | 6.6% |
NAR forecasts that sales will rise by 13 percent in 2024. “Housing sales are expected to increase a bit from this year,” agrees Chen Zhao, who leads the economics team at Redfin. “However,” she qualifies, “we are not expecting sales to increase dramatically, as rates are likely to remain above 6 percent.”
Predicted Range for 2025
Considering these factors, a conservative prediction for 30-year fixed mortgage rates by 2025 could be in the range of 5.5% to 7%.
The good news is that inflation is cooling, and many experts expect interest rates to move in a downward direction in 2024. Then again, a two-point drop would be significant, and even if rates fall, they're not likely to get down to 5% within the next year.
“All FOMC members believe that rates will be stable or higher through 2023 before slowly coming down in 2024–2025 to settle at a comfortable 2.5% for the longer-term,” she says. Elliot Eisenberg, the Chief Economist at Graphs and Laughs agrees.
A “good” mortgage rate is different for everyone. In today's market, a good mortgage interest rate can fall in the mid-6% range, depending on several factors, such as the type of mortgage, loan term, and individual financial circ*mstances.
Freddie Mac doesn't go so far as to predict a specific mortgage rate in its November 2023 forecast. However, the major backer of conventional loans does say that it doesn't anticipate rates falling below 6% any time soon because the Federal Reserve (Fed) has indicated a preference to keep rates higher for longer.
What is the interest rate forecast for the next 5 years?
Projected Interest Rates in the Next Five Years
ING's interest rate predictions indicate 2024 rates starting at 4%, with subsequent cuts to 3.75% in the second quarter. Then, 3.5% in the third, and 3.25% in the final quarter of 2024. In 2025, ING predicts a further decline to 3%.
Legally speaking, there's no limit to how many times you can refinance your mortgage, so you can refinance as often as it makes financial sense for you. Depending on your lender and the type of loan, though, you might encounter a waiting period — also called a seasoning requirement.
The highest mortgage rates in history were in the 1980s. Thirty-year fixed mortgage rates hit their peak at 18.63% in October 1981.
30 Year Mortgage Rate in the United States averaged 7.73 percent from 1971 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 18.63 percent in October of 1981 and a record low of 2.65 percent in January of 2021. This page includes a chart with historical data for the United States 30 Year Mortgage Rate.
Continued hikes in the fed funds rate pushed mortgage rates to an all-time high of 18.45% in 1981.
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