Massachusetts Home Buyer Guide

Average U.S. mortgage interest rates were unchanged for the week ending August 1, 2019, and remained below 4 percent for the 10th consecutive week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan averaged 3.75 percent, with an average 0.6 point, nearly a full percentage point below year-ago levels. During the same week last year, interest rates averaged 4.60 percent.

"Mortgage rates have essentially stabilized over the last two months, which reflects the recovery and improvement in the economy from the malaise earlier in the year," Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's chief economist, said. "Going forward, the combination of low mortgage rates, [a] tight labor market, and high consumer confidence should set up the [national] housing market for continued improvement in home sales heading into the late summer and early fall."

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported July 24, 2019, that median home prices reached all-time highs in June.

The 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan averaged 3.20 percent, with an average 0.5 point, compared to 3.18 percent the prior week and 4.08 percent the previous year.

The five-year, adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.46 percent, with an average 0.4 percent point. The previous week the five-year ARM averaged 3.47 percent and averaged 3.93 percent the same week in 2018.