Laura Tarpley

Olympia

Lead Editor and Content Strategist, Mortgages at Yahoo Finance

She/her/hers. Lead editor and content strategist (mortgages) on the personal finance team @YahooFinance. CEPF. All opinions are my own.

Articles

Rates are unstable after inflation report

3 weeks ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Mortgage interest rates are unsteady today. For example, according to Zillow, the average 30-year fixed rate has increased by eight basis points to 6.84%, and the 20-year fixed rate has risen by three basis points to 6.38%. However, the 15-year mortgage rate has inched down by one basis point to 6.06%. The April Consumer Price Index (CPI), which the Bureau of Labor Statistics released yesterday, could be behind these wobbly mortgage rates.
Should we buy when our lease expires in the winter or wait for home-buying season?

3 weeks ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

A renter wants to buy a house but isn’t sure whether to buy when their lease ends (in the offseason) or extend their lease to buy during peak home-buying season. There’s no way to time the real estate market, so our Realtors have tips for both scenarios. “Ask a Realtor” is a monthly column. To submit a question to our panel of Realtors, fill out this Google Form. Hi Realtors, We are preparing to buy a home in the next year. We currently rent with a lease ending in mid-January.
Rates inch up in response to tariff pause

3 weeks ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Most mortgage interest rates have ticked up today. According to Zillow, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has increased by four basis points to 6.76%, and the 15-year fixed rate has risen by four basis points to 6.07%. The slight inclines can likely be attributed to the U.S. and China pausing the heightened tariffs on each other for 90 days. You might think this news would push mortgage rates down, but economists and investors may view President Trump's politics as unpredictable.
These rates are the new normal

3 weeks ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Mortgage interest rates have increased overall today. According to Zillow, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is up by one basis point to 6.72%, and the 15-year fixed interest rate has risen by seven basis points to 6.03%. Rates may inch up or down from one day to the next, but home buyers should know that this is likely the new normal for a while: Average 30-year rates in the mid-to-upper 6% range and 15-year rates hovering around 6%.
Steady rates are good for home buyers

4 weeks ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Mortgage interest rates have held steady this week. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has remained unchanged at 6.76%, and the 15-year fixed rate has inched down by three basis points to 5.89%. Now could actually be a good time to buy a house. Mortgage rates are steady and unlikely to plummet in the near future. It's also home-buying season, so there are more houses on the market than in winter months. Dig deeper: Should you lock in a mortgage rate now?
Rates decrease overall

1 month ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Mortgage interest rates are down across the board today. According to Zillow data, the 30-year fixed interest rate has decreased by 10 basis points to 6.69%, and the 15-year fixed rate has dropped by six basis points to 5.97%. At yesterday's Federal Reserve news conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell talked about the current economic uncertainty in the U.S. This type unsteadiness often leads to volatile mortgage rates. So, while rates are down today, they might shoot back up next week.
Rates inch up before Fed meeting

1 month ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Most mortgage rates have increased today. According to Zillow, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate has risen by five basis points to 6.75%, and the 15-year fixed interest rate is up four basis points to 5.99%. Rates are probably inching up as economists await the Federal Reserve's announcement about cutting the federal funds rate tomorrow. Few people expect the Fed to lower its rate at this meeting, and rates could stay steady or even tick up after the meeting.
Don't expect lower rates after the Fed meeting

1 month ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Mortgage rates have increased on most term lengths today. According to Zillow, the average 30-year fixed rate has climbed by nine basis points to 6.70%, and the 15-year fixed rate is up five basis points to 6.95%. The 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) rate has risen by 15 basis points to 6.88%. The Federal Reserve meets this week, but mortgage rates are unlikely to drop as a result.
Rates rise in response to April jobs report

1 month ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Most mortgage interest rates have increased today. According to Zillow data, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has risen by nine basis points to 6.70%, and the 15-year interest rate is up five basis points to 5.95%. Today's higher rate could partly be due to the April jobs report released Friday. The data showed that the unemployment rate hasn't changed, and the country added more nonfarm payrolls last month than expected.
Rates are notably lower than last year

1 month ago | finance.yahoo.com | Laura Tarpley

Mortgage interest rates have decreased this week. According to Freddie Mac, the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has fallen by five basis points to 6.76%, and the 15-year fixed rate is down two basis points to 5.92%. These declines may seem unremarkable. But the bigger picture tells a different story. The average 30-year rate is actually down a full 46 basis points since this week last year, and the 15-year rate has dropped by 55 basis points.