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Following months of encouraging signs that inflation was finally cooling, a new report showed that it ticked back up in July. With the benchmark interest rate already at a 22-year high and mortgage interest rates the highest they've been since 2000, many buyers may elect to sit on the sidelines and wait for the rate environment to improve. That said, there's no clear insight into when that improvement will actually take place. Nor do experts know how much rates will even fall. With this forecast unclear, it may still make sense for buyers to act now.

3 reasons why it's worth locking in a mortgage rate now.

There are multiple compelling reasons buyers may want to lock in a mortgage rate now. Here are three things to consider. 

Rates could go…

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By Margaret Heidenry

Mortgage rates just jumped to their highest level in 20 years, averaging 7.09% for a 30-year fixed-rate home loan as of Aug. 17, according to Freddie Mac.

In addition to home loan rates hitting their highest levels in two decades, home prices edged upward for the week ending Aug. 12 compared with this same time period last year.

“For the third consecutive week, the median home listing price maintained a slight upward trajectory,” says Realtor.com® economic data manager Sabrina Speianu in her analysis.

Why record-high mortgage rates affect both homebuyers and sellers.

Record-high mortgage rates aren’t just weighing down buyers—they’re tethering sellers to their homes, too.

Speianu explains that most homeowners…

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KIRKLAND, Washington (August 7, 2023) –A downturn in the housing market was inevitable given higher mortgage rates, acknowledged broker Dick Beeson, but he and others who commented on the latest report from Northwest Multiple Listing Service noted some positives for both buyers and sellers.

The Northwest MLS statistics summarizing July activity for 26 counties in the report showed declines in listings, pending sales, closed sales and prices when compared to 12 months ago. The same metrics, which include single family homes and condominiums, were also down from June, with the exception of total active listings and months of inventory. Both showed slight month-over-month improvement.

 Buyers could choose from 10,982 active listings at the end of…

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Story by Aarthi Swaminathan

Homeowner Marie Cantu, 35, lives just outside of Seattle, and has been looking to buy a single-family home outside of Boston to be closer to her family.

The mom-of-five has been “seriously looking” for three-bedroom homes for the last six months. Cantu is hoping to rent her home in Washington, and move roughly before the school year starts, so that her children can adjust better to the new neighborhood. Cantu, a stay-at-home mother, homeschools her children. 

Higher rates make housing more expensive — and less affordable — for aspiring homeowners. They have also been a major factor in keeping would-be home sellers out of the housing market.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised the benchmark rate by 25…

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