Weekly mortgage demand surges 20% higher, after interest rates drop to the lowest since last year

A sharp drop in mortgage interest rates finally lit a fire under loan demand. Both current homeowners and potential homebuyers jumped back into the market, after a lackluster showing for this year so far.

Total mortgage application volume jumped 20.4% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's seasonally adjusted index. This was not only the first increase in 3 weeks, but it is an outsized weekly move.

Mortgage rates were clearly the culprit. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, 806,500 or less, decreased to 6.73% from 6.88%, with points decreasing to 0.60 from 0.61 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. That is the lowest level since December 2024.

"Mortgage rates declined last week on souring consumer sentiment regarding the economy and increasing uncertainty over the impact of new tariffs levied on imported goods into the U.S.," said Joel Kan, an MBA economist in a release. "Those factors resulted in the largest weekly decline in the 30-year fixed rate since November 2024."

Applications to refinance a home loan, which are most sensitive to weekly moves in interest rates, jumped 37% for the week and were 83% percent higher than the same week one year ago. While the vast majority of borrowers today still have loans with rates well below what is being offered today, more recent buyers from the last two years are now able to benefit from a refinance.

Applications for a mortgage to purchase a home rose 9% for the week but were still just 2% higher than the same week one year ago.

"This is a period where we typically see purchase activity ramp up and purchase applications were up over the week and continued to run ahead of last year's pace, more green shoots as we head into the spring homebuying season," Kan added.

While the weekly jump in purchase volume is certainly positive, it is still historically low. Buyers are up against high home prices, limited inventory and more uncertainty about the overall economy. The new tariffs levied on China, Canada and Mexico are widely expected to raise home prices, especially for new construction.

Mortgage rates moved very slightly lower to start this week, according to a separate survey from Mortgage News Daily. Tuesday, when the tariffs went into effect, the stock and bond markets rode a roller coaster, with bond yields, which mortgage rates follow, dropping along with stocks.

"As the day progressed, stocks and bonds bounced back in the other direction and the move was big enough for most mortgage lenders to reprice back toward slightly higher rates," wrote Matthew Graham, chief operating officer at Mortgage News Daily.