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Don't Hold Your Breath: Mortgage Rates Below 5% Are Gone for Good

Posted Jun 25, 2009 07:00am EDT by Peter Gorenstein in Investing, Recession, Housing

Waiting for mortgage rates to once again fall below 5%? Don’t bother. Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com, says those days are gone for good. But, it doesn’t mean you’ve missed your chance to act. Last week, the average 30-year mortgage rate was still a relatively low 5.38%, according to Freddie Mac.

Also, don’t forget there’s always the risk of even higher rates in the near future. As McBride puts it, “It’s like someone sets a table in front of you with a stack of cash. You have to grab the money while it’s there.” He’s got a point. A $400,000 mortgage at 6% costs just shy of $2,400 a month. That same mortgage with 5.35% rate: $2,240 – a savings of $160 a month.

If you’re in the market to buy, prices are also in your favor. Median home values are down more than 16% compared to this time last year. Buying a house is like getting married, MacBride says, “You’ve got to be in it for the long haul and have to be ready for the financial commitment.”  If you can say, “I do” on both accounts than the market may have already bottomed for you.

137 Comments

__A_YAHOO_USER__
__A_YAHOO_USER__ - Thursday June 25, 2009 07:57AM EDT

WEll I never got married, so...

franck s
franck s - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:01AM EDT

How many dozen people got a mortgage for less than 5%, and how many up front percentage points were worked into the loan to get the below 5% mortgage?

Ted
Ted - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:02AM EDT

The efforts of the Fed are unwinding. The average consumer would never agree that there is no inflation. Maybe that's true of you don't eat food or drive a car. They should have two reports; core inflation and "real inflation" statements to reflect the real world. It looks like the Fed NEVER RUNS OUT OF GAS OR NEEDS TO GO FOOD SHOPPING. You'd think they'd get hungry and tired of hitching free rides everywhere. We need true reports not just ones to pacify the masses and prevent them from becoming overwhelmed with panic attacks. The good, honest, hard-working American people deserve to know the true undoctored numbers. Not just the ones they make up to smooth things over for themselves.

Ed
Ed - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:07AM EDT

Johnny Ike, could you please go learn proper English and not post here again until you can use the language properly?

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:08AM EDT

WTF happened to the goal of 4% interest rates to salvage housing? Isn't the short-lived drop of rates why the housing sales numbers increased in the most recent report?! Houses are still vastly overpriced in terms of any legit analysis, aside from idiots who only look back to 2006... Hey, Obama and Bernanke, where's my 4% rate you promised? Yeah, politicians breaking promises...newsflash. They're more worried about protecting the multiple houses of the Wall Street greed factory workers - they can afford it with their big salary raises, while the rest of us get cuts or lose jobs... Nice.

Grandpa
Grandpa - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:16AM EDT

Just did a refi for 4.5%. No points, paid $1300 out of pocket for all the fees, appraisal etc. Was a great deal. Knocked 3 yrs. off the loan and saving $102 a month. All for $1300. Not a bad deal. 1st Federal Bank, F.Y.I.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:23AM EDT

Johnny Ike is just playing a game...

Poopsie, Snake, Weasel
Poopsie, Snake, Weasel - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:28AM EDT

If you consider buying you must be aware of more than the asking price and the mortgage rate. You have to pay transaction costs (moving costs, closing costs, real estate commissions), taxes, insurance, and upkeep. You must also anticipate resale value and how long you may have to wait to resell at an acceptable price. I think like this: I should buy a house if I need the space and I am willing to pay a premium for it, it's located where I want to live, and I am staying for years.

who cares
who cares - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:31AM EDT

Locked in for 5.375 with 2 points--no downpayment (VA)--no PMI. Good, not great. Timing is everything--had we found the home in March the rate would have been 4.8.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:43AM EDT

At my workplace, 2 of the 3 people I know who have recently purchased a house have rates under 5 w/ no points... I locked just above 5 but could have purchased down to 5 for less than one point, and that was very recently after the big spike the 2nd week of June.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:49AM EDT

I'm waiting for 15% interest rates. Low rates = high prices. High rates = low prices.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:50AM EDT

If your buying make sure you got the 20% down payment, the days of 5% and second loans are over. Deals are abundant, cash talks, bullshit walks.

Hello there
Hello there - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:52AM EDT

I got 4.625 for a 15 yr refi. Closing costs only 250! Shop around people! Don't go w/ citi. Their rates were higher and they wanted over 3k in closing costs. Yikes.

Michael
Michael - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:52AM EDT

I like that multilingual comeback. Go Johnny , go! Johnny be good.

amy
amy - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:54AM EDT

As of today, i still offer 30YR fixed rates as low as 4.875% with 1 or 1.5 pts. tonyb@firstbostonmtg.com let me know if you want the truth of whats going on...

mike
mike - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:55AM EDT

yeah, give em' hell Johnny Ike. 4.5% fixed 30 yr., closed in May. if were two weeks later, 5.5%. TIMING IS EVERYTHING !

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:56AM EDT

The stock market has lost a Trillion in value, the bond market has lost about 10 times that, the housing market has lost at least a Trillion and probably much more. The government has only announced plans to spend a couple Trillion over a multi-year period. I'm confused how this could create inflation. Wouldn't the government have to make up for all the lost money supply first?

David
David - Thursday June 25, 2009 08:59AM EDT

Asking a mortgage lender what the rates will be in the future is like asking a drug dealer what the laws shoud be for drug trafficing. The both don't have the most objective view. I have never, ever, ever heard a realtor or lender not say that now is the time to buy and or refinance.

harshing_my_mellow
harshing_my_mellow - Thursday June 25, 2009 09:02AM EDT

Lennar reported some dismal numbers; the rates are going to be left alone to float where "they" want them; consumer spending is in the toilet regardless how the propaganda machine wants to spin it; oops, we had a "unexpected" rise in unemployment; the government is buying Treasuries because no one else will; we have politicians UNWILLING to cut their out-of-control spending; you have Bernanke before Congress which is a joke in itself; and some of you want to criticise Johnny Ike??? Truly amazing..........

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Thursday June 25, 2009 09:03AM EDT

Grandpa - What is Agents Name + Number?

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