Why is my mortgage rate higher than average?
Not all applicants will receive the very best rates when taking out a new mortgage or refinancing. Credit scores, loan term, interest rate types (fixed or adjustable), down payment size, home location and the loan size will all affect mortgage rates offered to individual home shoppers.
Rates also vary between mortgage lenders. It’s estimated that about half of all buyers only look at one lender, primarily because they tend to trust referrals from their real estate agent. Yet this means that they may miss out on a lower rate elsewhere.
Freddie Mac estimates that buyers who got offers from five different lenders averaged 0.17 percentage points lower on their interest rate than those who didn’t get multiple quotes. If you want to find the best rate and term for your loan, it makes sense to shop around first.
Should you refinance your mortgage when interest rates drop?
Determining whether it’s the right time to refinance your home loan or not involves a number of factors. Most experts agree you should consider refinancing if your current mortgage rate exceeds today’s mortgage rates by 0.75 percentage points. It doesn’t make sense to refinance every time rates decline a little bit because mortgage fees would cut into your savings. You also have to consider whether your credit score would qualify you for today’s best refinance rates.