The average mortgage size in the US has reached a new record in February 2022. As a result, people looking to buy homes may be facing one of history’s priciest housing markets ever. If you’re considering purchasing a home in the United States, here’s what you must know about the rising mortgage size.
Mortgage Size in the US Has Reached a New Record
The interest rates of mortgages are increasing, even though the demand for mortgages is decreasing. In turn, the average purchase loan application size has reached a new record.
The seasonally adjusted index by the Mortgage Bankers Association showed that Mortgage applications for buying homes fell by 1% last week compared to what it was the week before that. The volume of mortgage applications was 7% lower than it was exactly a year ago.
An MBA Economist’s Input on the Issue
An MBA economist, Joel Kan, discussed that property purchase applications declined modestly over this past week. He cited that government purchase applications were mostly responsible for this decrease.
He continued to explain that prospective buyers must still deal with higher sales prices as well as increased mortgage rates.
Moreover, conventional applications also led to an average loan size of $453,000, which is also a record.
Prices of Homes and the Demand for Housing Are Increasing
There has been a steady increase in the prices of homes, and the demand for houses for sale exceeds the supply.
The increases both in the price of homes and demand for homes were moderated by the end of summer 2021. However, they have started to widen again.
CoreLogic recently reported that the prices increased by 18.5% in December from what it were at the end of the year before that.
Mortgage Rates Are Increasing
There has been an increase in the contract interest rate for fixed-rate 30-year mortgages with conforming loan balances ($647,200 or less), reaching 4.05% from 3.83%. In addition to that, the points rose from 0.40 to 0.45 for loans with a down payment of 20%.
Kan said the recent increase in Treasury yields also contributed to the rise in mortgage rates. The Treasury yields have increased because of inflationary pressures and market expectations of the Federal Reserve’s more aggressive policies.
The demand for refinancing has reduced significantly due to the increase in mortgage rates over the past months. In a year, the application volume reduced by 54% (compared with the figure from last week).
Last Few Words
The current mortgage size in the US may indicate that now may be a good time to start looking to purchase a house, as there’s a chance that the condition may worsen for homebuyers and investors.