Economics
Surging Mortgage Rates Set Off Scramble to Buy Homes
- Average for a 30-year loan jumps to 4.61%, tracking Treasuries
- Homes, in short supply, are selling at a record pace
How U.S. Mortgage Market Is Weathering Rising Rates
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U.S. homebuyers, already contending with escalating prices, now are getting hit with the most-expensive mortgage rates in seven years. Funny thing: It’s only making them move faster.
The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage jumped to 4.61 percent, up from 4.55 percent last week and the highest since May 2011, Freddie Mac said in a statement Thursday. And homes that sold last month went into contract after a median of 36 days on the market -- a record speed in data going back to 2010, according to a new report by brokerage Redfin Corp.