Low Mortgage Rates Likely to Continue Through 2012, Experts Say

Housing experts believe that high unemployment and continued home price depreciation in many areas will keep many would-be buyers on the sidelines in 2012. “Remarkably low rates are not enough” to entice buyers worried about the “lack of equity in their properties, poor credit and a weak job market,” notes Michael Fratantoni of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Still, those rates will remain historically low this year, according to Freddie Mac, which predicts that interest on 30-year mortgages will average 4.5 percent for the year before rising to 5.4 percent in 2013. | Read More