In this Thursday Nov. 8, 2012, photo, a house is shown "for sale" in Monterrey Park, Calif. Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages ticked up this week just slightly above their record

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In this Thursday Nov. 8, 2012, photo, a house is shown "for sale" in Monterrey Park, Calif. Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages ticked up this week just slightly above their record lows, keeping home-buying and refinancing attractive to consumers. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year loan ticked up to 3.34 percent, above last week's rate of 3.32 percent. Two weeks ago, the rate dipped to 3.31 percent, the lowest on records dating to 1971. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) less