Current 30-year fixed mortgage refinance rates are averaging: 7.38%
The current average rate for a 15-year fixed mortgage refinance is: 7.02%
See whether refinancing makes sense for you using our mortgage refinance calculator.After many months of rising steadily, mortgage rates spiked to 7.79% in October 2023 — leaving many wondering when they would finally start dropping. Rates began falling over the next few months, dipping just below 7% in December. The mortgage rates forecast predicts they’ll remain relatively high for most of 2024, staying below 7% and hopefully reaching 6% by the end of the year.
Looking to secure the best interest rate on your mortgage? Consider taking these five steps:
When should I lock in my mortgage rate?Once you’ve compared multiple mortgage offers and determined which is the best fit for you, you’ll want to get a mortgage rate lock from your lender. This ensures the interest rate you’ve selected will remain the same until your closing day, even if interest rates go up.
The state of Hawaii offers several loan programs to help residents on the path to homeownership. Some of these are geared specifically toward first-time homebuyers, while others are designed for low- to moderate-income residents.
The City and County of Honolulu offers a down payment loan program to support homeownership in the county. These loans are considered second mortgages — homebuyers must be able to secure a first mortgage from a mortgage lender before acquiring this loan.
The program provides a 0% interest rate loan (maximum $40,000 loan amount) to qualified individuals to help Hawaiians meet their down payment requirement. Buyers must put down 5% toward the purchase price of their home. In addition, the property must be located on the island of Oahu and have a maximum purchase price of $632,000.
Borrowers must:
Have a maximum annual income that’s between $73,400 and $146,720, depending on the number of people in their household
Be first-time homebuyers
Use the home as their primary residence
HHOC Mortgage — an affiliate of the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center (HHOC) — is a nonprofit mortgage broker that has a down payment assistance loan (DPAL) for first-time homebuyers. This program is designed to help low- to moderate-income residents purchase their first home. Borrowers must put down a 3% minimum on their home, and the maximum loan amount for the DPAL is $125,000.
Borrowers must:
Be a first-time homebuyer, or haven’t owned residential property in the last three years
Complete 9 hours of homebuyer education through a HUD-approved counseling agency and complete a counseling session with HHOC
Meet income limits per household size for their county of residence
HHOC Mortgage also offers a deferred closing costs assistance loan, which is a 15-year deferred loan of up to $15,000 (matched on a 6:1 basis) with no interest or monthly payments. The borrower’s primary mortgage must also be with HHOC Mortgage.
Borrowers must:
Be first-time homebuyers
Use the home as their primary residence
Have a low to moderate income that doesn’t exceed 120% of their area median income (AMI)
The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) offers a mortgage credit certificate (MCC) program to help families with low-to-moderate incomes purchase a home. MCCs are tax credits that can help reduce a buyer’s federal income tax bill, which gives them more available income to put toward their monthly mortgage payment.
Borrowers must:
Earn a maximum income that ranges between $113,200 (1-2 person families), and $168,980 (families of three or more), depending on your county
Use the home as their principal residence
Buy a home with a maximum purchase price ranging from $527,526 to $996,440 depending on your county
→ Hawaii conventional loans are the most common choice for borrowers with a decent credit score and down payment funds, as they typically come with competitive interest rates and good loan terms. Often considered the industry standard, conventional loans have a set of minimum requirements determined by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
→ Hawaii FHA loans allow borrowers to put as little as 3.5% of the purchase price down upfront, so long as their credit score is at least 580. (If you have enough to put down 10% upfront, your credit score can be as low as 500 for an FHA loan.)
→ Hawaii VA loans. Qualified military borrowers will likely want to consider a VA loan, since they offer flexibility and good perks. For example, borrowers using a VA loan can purchase or refinance a home without putting anything down upfront or paying for mortgage insurance.
→ Hawaii USDA loans. Loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are available in certain rural areas of Hawaii (this map provides more detail). USDA loans are for low- or very-low-income borrowers, and they don’t typically require a down payment.
→ Hawaii streamline refinances can be done with an FHA streamline refinance loan or a VA interest rate reduction refinance loan (IRRRL). As the names suggest, these refinances are designed to be simple and hassle-free. Just know that the refinance loan has to be the same as your original loan — for example, you’ll need to refinance from an FHA loan into another FHA loan, or from a VA loan into another VA loan.
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