As Rates Decrease, Mortgage Refinancing Surges
With interest rates and mortgage rates on the decline, mortgage refinancing activity has spiked.
With interest rates and mortgage rates on the decline, mortgage refinancing activity has spiked.
As mortgage rates fall, prospective homebuyers have been locking in rates when looking for a home while current homeowners have been scouting out refinances at the highest rate in nearly two years.
New mortgage application data is signaling homebuyers are reentering the market amid gradual decline in interest rates, setting the stage for another year that drives home prices up.
Mortgage data provider Optimal Blue said mortgage refinancing saw a boost in December both nationwide and in Greater Boston as mortgage interest rates dropped from 20-year highs in the fall.
While homebuying activity typically falls off dramatically in November and December, the drop-off reported by Black Knight came as mortgage rates fell 50 basis points in three weeks.
October saw homebuyers’ ability to afford a home tumble yet again according to separate data reports yesterday.
The number of homebuyers seeking mortgages for second homes has taken a nosedive this year, even as the inventories of single-family homes and condominiums for sale on Cape Cod hit never-before-seen lows last month.