Current Mortgage Rates: Looking for a mortgage is both easy and difficult at the same time. It is easy because, if your situation is right, there are a host of companies to choose from out there; you will have no trouble finding a lender who is willing to work with you.
However, it is also hard. It is hard because finding the lender who is willing to offer you the lowest-possible home mortgage interest rates is going to take some work: it is not the case that any two given lenders will offer the same person the same rate on a given day.
If you are wondering how to qualify for the best current home mortgage interest rates, here are 5 insights that can help:
1. Current rates are determined by decisions made by the Treasury Department and the Fed:
In broad-brush terms, today's fixed-rate mortgage interest rate is largely determined by the yield of a U.S. Treasury Department monetary instrument called a Treasury note. Similarly, today's adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) interest rate is determined by the fed fund rate - which has to do with the interest rate that banks charge other banks for overnight loans.
2. Your credit score also plays a role in which rate you are offered:
However, those government-level policy decisions are not the only factor in determining the current home mortgage interest rate you will be offered by a given lender. Your credit score, of course, plays a big role as well.
3. Each lender may offer you a different rate based upon your score:
Finally, on any given day, two different home loan lenders may very well offer you different mortgage interest rates.
4. Build yourself a big list of lenders:
What do you do with all of this information? Well, you will want to look at historical rate trends to determine whether today's rate looks relatively high or low. And, you will benefit from doing what you can to improve your credit score. But, you can also improve your chances of getting offered the best rate by building a big list of home mortgage lenders.
5. Tirelessly shop each lender to get the best rates:
Now, all you have to do is shop! Applying with multiple lenders will greatly improve your chances of qualifying for the best rate. Make sure you apply with at least 5 lenders.
Learn more about these 5 insights in order to help secure for yourself the best current home mortgage interest rate.