The main hope for rising mortgage interest rates was that, in response, real estate prices would cool. Rising interest rates have been a point of concern for investors and average homebuyers alike – with housing more expensive than ever, even a marginal rate increase could mean thousands more paid in mortgage interest.

Throughout 2020, one of the driving forces behind an incredible year of real estate market performance was record-low mortgage rates. Despite the pandemic and its economic impact, these rates incentivized a flurry of homebuying activity throughout the year. 

We haven’t met a person yet who likes paying a mortgage. Both homeowners and investors who don’t pay for properties via all-cash offers have to deal with mortgages. No one likes them. In the years since the market crash, mortgage rates bottomed out to an all-time low, making it an ideal time for investors to snatch up properties and bring some life back into the real estate market. They did, giving the market the boost it needed to get back on its feet.

Looking forward to 2015, however, real estate experts expect rates to rise to 5% next year and 6% in the next two years, putting rates at the highest point they’ve been since the market crash. While that’s hardly the highest they could be, the real estate market is still in the middle of recovery, which could mean another slowdown if lenders don’t play it smart.

Ah, mortgage rate news. Mortgage rates do, after all, impact the state of the real estate market, nationally and locally. In 2014, mortgage rates have been holding a relatively steady pattern. According to Freddie Mac, the national mortgage rates in the U.S. real estate market have actually decreased a fraction since earlier in April.