By JANNA HERRON
AP Real Estate Writer
NEW YORK – Homeowners who delayed locking in super-low mortgage rates – think close to 4 percent for a 30-year fixed – may have waited too long.
Rates are creeping back up, in part because of the tax-cut deal in Washington. Now those in the market to buy or refinance have to decide whether to take what’s available or wait – and run the risk that rates will keep rising.
Freddie Mac, the government-backed company that buys and sells mortgages, said Thursday that average rates on 15- and 30-year fixed loans increased sharply from last week. It was the fourth straight weekly rise. Fixed rates had been the lowest in decades.