{"id":7270,"date":"2026-02-28T08:37:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T08:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=7270"},"modified":"2026-02-28T08:37:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T08:37:46","slug":"mortgage-rates-fall-to-5-98-freddie-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=7270","title":{"rendered":"Mortgage rates fall to 5.98%: Freddie Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div><!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"featured featured-video video-ct\">\n<div class=\"contain\">\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p>FOX Business&#8217; Jeff Flock joins &#8216;Mornings with Maria&#8217; live from Austin, Texas, showcasing 3D-printed homes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/category\/home-mortgage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>Mortgage rates<\/u><\/a> fell below 6% this week for the first time in three and a half years, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Freddie Mac&#8217;s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/category\/economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>30-year fixed mortgage<\/u><\/a> fell to 5.98% from last week&#8217;s reading of 6.01%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.76% a year ago. It was most recently under 6% on Sept. 8, 2022, at 5.89%.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/economy\/rent-becoming-more-affordable-many-americans-market-stabilizes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RENT BECOMING MORE AFFORDABLE FOR MANY AMERICANS AS MARKET STABILIZES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline image-ct\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/343\/192\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/686\/384\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/672\/378\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1344\/756\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/931\/523\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1862\/1046\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/720\/405\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1440\/810\/home-for-sale-seattle-washington-getty.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.98% from last week&#8217;s reading of 6.01%.<\/span><span> (David Ryder\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;This rate, combined with the improving availability of homes for sale, is meaningful and will drive more potential buyers into the market for spring homebuying season,&#8221; said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac\u2019s chief economist.<\/p>\n<p>The average rate on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/category\/mortgage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">15-year fixed mortgage<\/a> increased to 5.44% from last week&#8217;s reading of 5.35%.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/economy\/texas-capitals-household-growth-surges-far-outpacing-national-rate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>TEXAS CAPITAL&#8217;S HOUSEHOLD GROWTH SURGES, FAR OUTPACING NATIONAL RATE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Mortgage rates are affected by several factors, including the Federal Reserve and geopolitics. Though mortgage rates are not directly affected by the Fed&#8217;s interest rate decisions, they closely track the 10-year Treasury yield. The 10-year yield hovered around 4.02% as of Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu said the dip in rates comes in the wake of the Supreme Court&#8217;s ruling against the Trump administration&#8217;s use of emergency tariff powers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/real-estate\/us-home-prices-rising-fast-growing-markets-remain-affordable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>US HOME PRICES ARE RISING \u2013 BUT THESE FAST-GROWING MARKETS REMAIN AFFORDABLE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline image-ct\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/343\/192\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/686\/384\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/672\/378\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1344\/756\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/931\/523\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1862\/1046\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/720\/405\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1440\/810\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxbusiness.com\/foxbusiness.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/931\/523\/new-home-for-sale-reuters.jpg?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"New homes for sale in Encinitas, California.\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage rose to 5.44% from last week&#8217;s reading of 5.35%.<\/span><span> (Mike Blake\/Reuters)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/apps-products\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This legal tug-of-war has triggered a flight to safety among investors, pushing bond prices higher and yields lower, helping mortgage rates settle around 6%,&#8221; Xu said. &#8220;However, as this week\u2019s decline stems from market volatility rather than fundamental economic data, more supportive economic data is needed to establish a consistent trend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/economy\/mortgage-rates-february-26-2026\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOX Business&#8217; Jeff Flock joins &#8216;Mornings with Maria&#8217; live from Austin, Texas, showcasing 3D-printed homes. Mortgage rates fell below 6% this week for the first time&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}