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When buying a new home or refinancing a property, it is important to consider mortgage rates and how they change over time. In particular, it is important to understand how loans will likely change over the next six to 12 months, as this will make it easier to decide whether to wait for loan mortgage rates to become more attractive.
For buyers, mortgage rates across the United States are very low due to the housing market crash that greatly decreased home values in 2008. Sellers are less fortunate, of course, but there has rarely been a better time to refinance. The question is whether or not it makes sense to wait for loan mortgage rates to drop even lower. This strategy makes sense if rates are likely to drop dramatically, although it is always risky to bet on how the United States housing market will change over a relatively short period of time.
It's difficult to say how mortgage rates will change over 2012, but it seems highly unlikely that they will continue to drop as quickly as they have over the past several years. The economy showed signs of improvement in the last half of 2011, and the housing market seemed to recover in some parts of the country. These factors, combined with public awareness of low home loan mortgage rates nationwide, have driven up demand, and as demand improves, rates may start to increase again. Many companies and organizations have predicted continued growth in the housing market over 2012, notably Freddie Mac.
Of course, these organizations are essentially guessing. There is no way to accurately predict how the housing market will change over the course of a year. The safe bet is that, barring any major unexpected changes in the world economy, none of the changes in loan mortgage rates will be extremely dramatic. While home mortgage rates will likely rise slightly or drop slightly, they probably won't change significantly for at least a few months.
For home buyers and homeowners, this means that it is time to start comparing mortgage rates. Locking in a good rate and closing can take time, especially in distressed parts of the country. It is still a great time historically to look for a mortgage, and by comparing rates early and often, buyers can find mortgages that save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year.