Mortgage rates move up, still near three-year low

The 30-year fixed mortgages in this week's survey had an average total of 0.33 discount and origination points. Discount points are a way to lower your mortgage rate, while origination points are fees lenders charge to create, review and process your loan.

Monthly mortgage payment at today's rates

The national median family income for 2025 was $104,200, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the median price of an existing home sold in December 2025 was $405,400, according to the National Association of Realtors. Based on a 20% down payment and a 6.23% mortgage rate, the monthly principal and interest payment of $1,993 amounts to about 23% of the typical family's monthly income.

Meanwhile, home prices have begun to dip in many formerly hot markets. Half of the nation's 50 largest metro areas experienced price declines over the past year, Zillow reported in early February. "With more housing inventory coming online and home prices starting to level off , this remains a promising environment for those looking to buy or refinance," says Samir Dedhia, CEO of One Real Mortgage.

What will happen to mortgage rates in 2026?

Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that it would hold its benchmark interest rate steady, as expected by industry experts. "Until there is further economic data to support another rate cut, they will keep the fed funds rate as is," says Melissa Cohn of William Raveis Mortgage.

The central bank doesn't directly set mortgage rates, which are at levels not seen since 2022. "Even without a cut, mortgage rates are nearly a full percentage point lower than they were a year ago, when rates hovered around 6.9%," says Bill Banfield of Rocket Mortgage.

One reason rates have dipped: President Donald Trump's announcement that he directed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage rates, already at a 15-month low of 6.24% before Trump's Truth Social post in early January, fell to 6.18% in Bankrate survey three weeks ago. However, that action hasn't led to a sustained decline in mortgage rates.

Sean Salter, a finance professor at Middle Tennessee State University, said Trump's policy move would create "a temporary and limited reduction in mortgage rates": "Unless there is coordination with and support from monetary-policy actions via the Federal Reserve, and/or fiscal-policy actions from Congress, the eff ects of Trump's announcement will likely not be highly impactful or long-lasting." Fannie and Freddie are the government-sponsored enterprises that back about two-thirds of U.S. home loans. Those mortgages are packaged as securities and sold to the Federal Reserve, pension funds and other institutional investors.

So, while your home loan might be originated by a lender such as Rocket, loanDepot or Wells Fargo, or by an independent mortgage broker, it soon is turned into a mortgage bond owned by an investor. If the government steps in and buys additional bonds based on mortgages, the increased demand for home loans could lead to lower rates.

The consensus now is that mortgage rates will driff slightly lower. Fannie Mae's January 2026 Housing Forecast predicts that rates will sit at 6% for most of 2026 and 2027. •

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