Recent data suggests that today's homebuyers are growing more sensitive to weekly shifts in mortgage rates. Despite a slight easing of home prices, affordability remains a significant obstacle, particularly as more first-time buyers enter the market.
In the past week, the average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($726,200 or less) rose to 6.43% from 6.30% the previous week. Concurrently, points increased to 0.63 from 0.55 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment.
This increase in mortgage rates led to a 10% drop in mortgage applications for home purchases, as reported by the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. Compared to the same week one year ago, when the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.20%, buyer demand has fallen by 36%.
Joel Kan, MBA's deputy chief economist, noted in a release that "affordability challenges persist and there is limited for-sale inventory in many markets across the country, so buyers remain selective on when they act." The 10% decrease in FHA purchase applications and the rise in the average purchase loan size to its highest level in a month indicate that first-time buyers are retreating from the market.
Even wealthier buyers are encountering new challenges in obtaining credit. In the past, banks offered better rates on jumbo loans, but the spread between jumbo and conforming loans has tightened considerably compared to last year. This shift can be attributed to recent regional bank failures that have had a ripple effect throughout the industry.
Kan predicts that "as banks reduce their willingness to hold jumbo loans, we expect this narrowing trend to continue."
Meanwhile, applications to refinance a home loan declined by 6% from the previous week and were 56% lower than the same period last year. However, the refinance share of mortgage activity inched up to 27.6% of total applications, compared to 27.0% the previous week.
Mortgage rates experienced a notable increase at the start of this week, according to a rate survey from Mortgage News Daily. Rates have oscillated between 6% and 7% for several months. While potential homebuyers may be acclimating to higher rates, home prices have not adjusted sufficiently to improve overall affordability.
The bond market has been extremely volatile for the last few months and recent fluctuations in mortgage rates have had a measurable impact on homebuyer behavior. Home affordability remains a significant challenge in the current market and given the volatilty in interest rates it has caused anxiety among buyers. With limited inventory, first-time buyers are being particularly cautious, while wealthier buyers face new difficulties in securing credit. As mortgage rates continue to vacillate, the real estate market will likely experience further shifts in buyer demand and behavior.
