Average long-term US mortgage rate falls to 6.67%, the lowest level
since early April
[July 05, 2025] By
MATT OTT
NEW YORK (AP) — The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell for the
fifth straight week to its lowest level since early April, an
encouraging sign for potential buyers who have wrestled with rising home
prices.
The long-term rate fell to 6.67% from 6.77% last week, mortgage buyer
Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.95%.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners
refinancing their home loans, fell to 5.80% from 5.89% last week. A year
ago, it was 6.25%, Freddie Mac said.
High mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for
borrowers and reduce their purchasing power. That’s helped keep the U.S.
housing market in a sales slump that dates back to 2022, when mortgage
rates began to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the
pandemic.
Last year, sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank to their lowest
level in nearly 30 years. They’ve remained sluggish so far this year, as
many prospective homebuyers have been discouraged by elevated mortgage
rates and home prices that have continued to climb, albeit more slowly.
High borrowing costs are also putting pressure on the new home market.
Last week, the government reported that sales of new U.S. homes fell
nearly 14% in May from the previous month.

Recent data suggests sales could pick up in the coming months,
especially with the recent decline in mortgage rates. A seasonally
adjusted index of pending U.S. home sales rose 1.8% in May from the
previous month and increased 1.1% from May last year, the National
Association of Realtors said last week.
There’s usually a month or two lag between a contract signing and when
the sale is finalized, which makes pending home sales a bellwether for
future completed home sales.
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This July 13, 2008, file photo, shows the Freddie Mac headquarters
in McLean, Va. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
 Mortgage rates are influenced by
several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy
decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and
inflation.
The key barometer is the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use
as a guide to pricing home loans. The yield was at 4.33% at midday
Thursday, down from 4.58% just a few weeks ago.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close
to its high so far this year of just above 7%, set in mid-January.
The 30-year rate’s low point this year was in early April when it
briefly dipped to 6.62%.
Mortgage rates have now fallen five weeks in a row, reflecting the
recent pullback in bond yields.
The recent decline in mortgage rates appears to have encouraged some
home shoppers. Last week, mortgage applications rose 2.7% from a
week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Economists generally expect mortgage rates to stay relatively stable
in the coming months, with forecasts calling for the average rate on
a 30-year mortgage to remain in a range between 6% and 7% this year.
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