Increasing Mortgage Rates are Only Part of the Problem

By Stephanie Mojica

Future and current homeowners have been mesmerized by countless media reports about increasing mortgage rates and decreasing home sales prices. However, the 20-year high in mortgage rates is not the biggest problem facing the real estate market, according to REALTOR.com.


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Many residential properties are staying on the market significantly longer because the combination of increased mortgage rates and home prices is too much for the average buyer to bear. As a result, a number of potential buyers are waiting for housing prices to drop, per FOX Business.

As of October 27, 2022, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.08%. The average at the same time last year was 3.14%. The current rate for a 15-year fixed mortgage is 6.36%, compared to 2.37% in 2021.


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Some real estate investors are panicking over these changes in market conditions, Fortune.com noted. This may be justified, as home prices fell 27% between 2006 and 2012 — and experts expect even more significant reductions in the years to come. Prices have plunged 8.2% in San Francisco, for example.


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