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Here are seven key factors that affect your interest rate that you should know
Mortgage rates are tied to the basic rules of supply and demand. Factors such as inflation, economic growth, the Fed’s monetary policy, and the state of the bond and housing markets all come into play.
Interest rate levels are a factor of the supply and demand of credit: an increase in the demand for money or credit will raise interest rates, while a decrease in the demand for credit will decrease them. The more banks can lend, the more credit is available to the economy.
In the U.S., interest rates are determined by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which consists of seven governors of the Federal Reserve Board and five Federal Reserve Bank presidents. The FOMC meets eight times a year to determine the near-term direction of monetary policy and interest rates.
For today, June 7th, 2021, the current average mortgage rate on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.87%, the average rate for the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage is 2.18%, and the average rate on the 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is 3.075%.
Is it worth refinancing for 1 percent? Refinancing for a 1 percent lower rate is often worth it. One percent is a significant rate drop, and will generate meaningful monthly savings in most cases. For example, dropping your rate 1 percent — from 3.75% to 2.75% — could save you $250 per month on a $250,000 loan.
Current mortgage and refinance rates
Product | Interest Rate | APR |
---|---|---|
30-Year Fixed Rate | 3.080% | 3.270% |
20-Year Fixed Rate | 2.960% | 3.140% |
15-Year Fixed Rate | 2.350% | 2.620% |
10/1 ARM Rate | 3.460% | 4.130% |
2016 held the lowest annual mortgage rate on record going back to 1971. Freddie Mac says the typical 2016 mortgage was priced at just 3.65%. Mortgage rates had dropped lower in 2012, when one week in November averaged 3.31%. But some of 2012 was higher, and the entire year averaged out at 3.66% for a 30-year mortgage.
2.66%
One of the best reasons to refinance is to lower the interest rate on your existing loan. Historically, the rule of thumb is that refinancing is a good idea if you can reduce your interest rate by at least 2%. However, many lenders say 1% savings is enough of an incentive to refinance.
Fannie Mae and Freddie mac predict the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to average 3.2 percent in 2021. The Mortgage Bankers Association expects rates to rise to 3.7 percent by the end of the year.
Saving $100 per month, it would take you 40 months — more than 3 years — to recoup your closing costs. So a refinance might be worth it if you plan to stay in the home for 4 years or more. But if not, refinancing would likely cost you more than you’d save. Negotiate with your lender a no closing cost refinance.
Taking on new debt typically causes your credit score to dip, but because refinancing replaces an existing loan with another of roughly the same amount, its impact on your credit score is minimal.
It doesn’t make sense to refinance if you can’t afford the closing costs.
The number one downside to refinancing is that it costs money. What you’re doing is taking out a new mortgage to pay off the old one – so you’ll have to pay most of the same closing costs you did when you first bought the home, including origination fees, title insurance, application fees and closing fees.
Extra payments reduce the expected life of the loan, which (other things the same) reduces the benefit from the refinance. If you plan to refinance into a 30-year loan, for example, but extra payments would result in payoff in 20 years, you should use 20 years as the term.
A lender may reject a home refinance application for a multitude of reasons. Chief among them: Weak credit score and credit history: Lenders don’t like to see late payments and collection accounts on a credit report, since they may be indicators of financial irresponsibility.
The most common reason why refinance loan applications are denied is that the borrower has too much debt. Because lenders have to make a good-faith effort to ensure you can repay your loan, they typically have limits on what’s called your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.
10 things NOT to say to your mortgage lender
Generally, in order to qualify for the most mortgage loan options, you should have a debt-to-income ratio no greater than 43%. However, it’s important to note that mortgage qualification is based on a variety of factors including loan type, down payment, housing expense ratio and credit score.
How to lower your debt-to-income ratio
As a general guideline, 43% is the highest DTI ratio a borrower can have and still get qualified for a mortgage. Ideally, lenders prefer a debt-to-income ratio lower than 36%, with no more than 28% of that debt going towards servicing a mortgage or rent payment. The maximum DTI ratio varies from lender to lender.
Impact of a High Debt-to-Income Ratio A high debt-to-income ratio will make it tough to get approved for loans, especially a mortgage or auto loan. Lenders want to be sure you can afford to make your monthly loan payments. High debt payments are often a sign that a borrower would miss payments or default on the loan.
Just like any other debt, your student loan will be considered in your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. The DTI ratio considers your gross monthly income compared to your monthly debts.
Jumbo Loan On A Home Purchase The maximum debt-to-income ratio – which compares your minimum monthly installment and revolving debt payments to monthly income – must be no higher than 45%.
Your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI, is a percentage that compares your monthly debt payments to your gross monthly income. Many auto refinance lenders have a maximum DTI of around 50%. However, if you’re applying for a mortgage, lenders prefer a DTI under 36%.