Mortgage rates are on the rise again in the month of October. Mortgage rates jumped sharply to yearly highs and to levels not see in over seven years. Mortgage rates for a 30 year fixed loan are nearing 5%. What is going on!?!
A year ago, mortgage rates were just under 4%… that is about a full point lower than they are today. I know what a lot of people think… “it is because of the Federal Reserve raising rates.” Not exactly.
The Federal Reserve raised rates three times so far this year at 0.250% each time. That means the Federal Funds Rate is up 0.750% on the year, but mortgage rates are up almost 1%. Why the difference?
- the Federal Funds rate directly impacts the rate on second mortgages, car loans, credit card rates, etc.
- bond values – specifically mortgage backed security bonds (or MBS bonds)- impact rates for first mortgages. As these bond values decrease, mortgage rates increase.
That is what we’ve seen this year. Stocks are up on the year, the economy is better, and MBS bond values are down… meaning, higher mortgage rates. Remember the reason we saw all time historic lows for mortgage rates was two-fold.
First, the economy went through the Great Recession. In this environment, investors move money out of stocks and into bonds. The more money into bonds mean those values go up, and mortgage rates go down. As the economy improved, more money is going into stocks and out of bonds (bond values drop and mortgage rates rise).
Second, the Federal Reserve purchased bonds (quantitative easing or QE) to help push rates down to stimulate the housing market. The economy is now doing well, the Federal Reserve ended QE, and the Feds are now selling off some of the bonds they bought during QE. All of the factors pushing rates to historic lows are gone, and the current environment on rates is pushing them up. This trend doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon.
What can we expect? Earlier this year, mortgage rates jumped 0.75%, but recovered about half of those losses. We can expect to see some market fluctuations, and possibly some positive improvements in mortgage rates. Those looking for rates to get below 4% again? Those days are long behind us now, and probably not returning anytime soon.
Worried about rates going up even more? Considering buying a home but waiting for the right time? If you are buying in Georgia, contact me today. Let’s talk about what buying a home would look like for you, and see how the current dynamics in play will impact your next home purchase.
