Once again we are seeing record low interest rates!  The average rate on 30-year loans dipped to 3.79%. That’s down from 3.83% last week and the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.  The 15-year mortgage, a popular option for refinancing, declined to 3.04%, down from last week’s previous record of 3.05%.  Mortgage rates are lower because they tend to track the yield on 10-year Treasury notes. Slower U.S. job growth and uncertainty about how Europe will resolve its debt crisis have led investors to buy more Treasury notes, which are considered safe investments. As demand for Treasury notes increases, the yield falls.

There has been a slight mortgage rate increase across the board this past week according to Freddie Mac.  The slight rate increase has been due to the positive news about the job market.  The 30 year fixed rate mortgage rate was up .04% from last week to 3.92% but that is still much lower than a year ago when it was at 4.76%.  The fixed rate 15 year mortgage was at 3.16%, up from 3.13% last week but still down from the rate a year ago of 3.97%.