30-year mortgage rates

The average 30 year mortgage rate today is 2.852%, down 0.019% from yesterday’s average rate of 2.871%. If you borrow to buy a home at today’s average rate, your monthly principal and interest payment would equal $ 414 for every $ 100,000 of mortgage debt. This does not include property taxes or insurance. For every $ 100,000 of mortgage debt at today’s average rate, you’ll pay $ 48,919 in interest over the life of the loan.

Discover The Ascent’s mortgage calculator to see what your monthly payment could be and how much your loan will ultimately cost. Also find out how much money you would save by saving a lower interest rate, making a larger down payment, or choosing a shorter loan term.

20-year mortgage rates

The average 20-year mortgage rate today is 2.656%, down 0.036% from yesterday’s average of 2.692%. At the current average rate, monthly principal and interest payments would equal $ 538 per $ 100,000 borrowed and the total interest charge over the term of the loan would be $ 29,009.

It may seem strange that the monthly payment is so much higher on a 20-year loan than on a 30-year loan even though the average interest rate is lower. The reason for this is the short payment term. When you shorten your loan repayment term by a decade, you simply have to pay a lot more each month to pay off your loan on time, even at a low interest rate. Of course, you’ll notice that the total cost of interest is much lower, because paying your loan a decade less naturally means paying a lot less interest over time.

15-year mortgage rates

The average 15-year mortgage rate today is 2.358%, down 0.038% from yesterday’s average rate of 2.396%. At the current average rate, the monthly principal and interest payment would be $ 660 per $ 100,000 of debt and the total interest charge over the term of the loan would be $ 18,823 per $ 100,000. borrowed.

Despite the even lower interest rate here, you’re slashing your repayment schedule by an additional five years, so it makes sense that your monthly payment is much higher than on a 30- or 20-year loan – but your interest charges totals over time are much lower.

5/1 arm

The average ARM rate 5/1 is 3.519%, down 0.057% from yesterday’s average of 3.576%. An ARM (or variable rate mortgage) is an attractive option in two circumstances. The first is if you think rates are going to come down over time, which is extremely unlikely since they are currently at all-time highs. The second is if you can get a lower starting interest rate on an ARM than a fixed rate loan and want to take advantage of the lower monthly payment that this allows while planning to move out or refinance before the rates hit. cannot adjust upwards. With an average ARM rate higher than the 30-year fixed rate, this is not currently the case. As a result, there really is no reason for borrowers to consider ARMs.

Should I lock in my mortgage rate now?

A mortgage rate freeze guarantees you a certain interest rate for a specified period of time, usually 30 days, although you can guarantee your rate for up to 60 days. You will usually pay a fee to lock in your mortgage rate, but this way you are protected in the event of a rate hike before your mortgage closes.

If you plan to close your home within the next 30 days, it pays to lock in your mortgage rate based on today’s rates, especially since they are very competitive. But if your close is more than 30 days away, you might want to choose an adjustable rate lock instead for what will usually be a higher fee, but could save you money in the long run. A variable rate lock allows you to get a lower rate on your mortgage if rates drop before you close, and while rates today are still quite low, we don’t know if rates will go up or down. over the next few months. As such, it is beneficial to:

• LOCK if closing 7 days
• LOCK if closing 15 days
• LOCK if closing 30 days
• FLOAT if closing 45 days
• FLOAT if closing 60 days

Before you lock in, you should get quotes from at least three of the best mortgage lenders to make sure you get a loan at the most competitive rate possible.