January 2015 v. January 2014: The Difference a Year Makes in Interest Rates

Long-term mortgage rates fell for the third straight week as Freddie Mac reported 3.66 percent as the average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage on Thursday. Rates were 4.41 percent a year ago.
Freddie Mac’s chief economist Frank Nothaft attributed the drop to falling oil prices and dropping long-term treasury yields, but noted the strength of the economy and the low unemployment rate of 5.6 percent, the lowest since June 2008.
Given the disparity between current rates and rates last January, UrbanTurf decided to take a look at what the difference in monthly mortgage payments would be for someone that purchased a home last year versus someone buying the same house at today’s rates. If you bought a house around this time last year, cover your ears.
To calculate the below, we looked at purchasing a $500,000 house with a 20 percent down payment, with taxes and insurance omitted. For a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at the average rate, here’s what you’d save:
January 2014: The average mortgage rate was 4.41 percent.
Monthly mortgage payment: $2,206
Total outlay on mortgage (monthly payment x 360 months): $794,160
January 2015: The average mortgage rate is 3.66 percent.
Monthly mortgage payment: $2,015
Total outlay on mortgage (monthly payment x 360 months): $725,400
So, the difference between a rate of 3.66 percent and 4.41 percent is about $191 a month or $68,760 over the life of the loan.
We’re tracking the path of long-term rates since January 2010 in this chart:

The UrbanTurf Mortgage Rate Disclaimer: The rates reported by Freddie Mac for 30-year mortgages are usually the best rates that the most qualified borrowers can get, so borrowers or those considering refinancing should not necessarily read this news and think that they can go out and get a loan with the quoted interest rate.
See other articles related to: mortgage rates
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/3.66_percent_mortgage_rates_at_lowest_level_since_may_2013/9410
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever

Following news that the retail outlet is replacing Best Buy in Tenleytown, UrbanTurf ... read »

For the first time in years, the spring housing market looks to favor buyers. ... read »

The online behemoth announced its change of plans following mounting political pressu... read »

While approval for the condo development is still valid, the project is also being ma... read »

Cutting off Purple Line construction funds to spite late-night rail service; where to... read »
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Visit guides.urbanturf.com or start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Northern Virginia
Profiles of 14 neighborhoods across Northern Virginia
Ballston
Looking to Give People A Reason to Stay Past 6pm
|
Clarendon
Happily Straddling the Line Between City and Suburb
|
Columbia Pike
Arlington’s Neglected Stepchild is Getting a Makeover
|
Crystal City
Turning Lemons into Lemonade
|
Lyon Village
Developing An Air of Exclusivity?
|
Rosslyn
Hitting Its Growth Spurt
|
Shirlington
An Urban Village Hitting Its Stride
|
Del Ray
Virginia’s Small Town Near the Big City
|
Eisenhower Avenue
The Vibrancy Might Take a Few Years
|
Huntington
The Quiet Neighborhood By the Beltway
|
Old Town
Mayberry By The Potomac
|
Parkfairfax
132 Commerical-Free Acres
|
Downtown Falls Church
Staying the Same in the Midst of Change
|
Tysons Corner
Radical Change Could Be On The Way
|
Maryland
Profiles of 14 neighborhoods in suburban Maryland
Annapolis
Small-Town Living in the State Capital
|
Bethesda
Bedroom Community Gets Buzzing Cache
|
Cabin John
In With The New While Maintaining the Old
|
Chevy Chase
Affluence, Green Lawns and Pricey Homes
|
Downtown Silver Spring
Experiencing a Resurgence After a Bumpy History
|
Potomac
A Suburb on Steroids
|
Rockville Town Square
Despite the Dynamism, Still Somewhat Generic
|
Takoma Park
More Than a Little Bit Quirky
|
Wheaton
A Foodie Magnet on the Verge of Change
|
Capitol Heights
Kudzu, Front Porches and Crime
|
Hyattsville
Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
|
Mount Rainier
Artists, Affordable Homes and A Silo Full of Corn
|
National Harbor
A Development Rises Next to the Potomac
|
Riverdale Park
A Town Looking For Its Identity
|
Northwest DC
30+ neighborhood profiles for the city's biggest quadrant
16th Street Heights
DC's Sleeper Neighborhood
|
Bloomingdale
Where (Almost) Everyone Knows Your Name
|
AU Park
One of DC’s Last Frontiers Before the Suburbs
|
Brightwood
DC’s Northern Neighborhood on the Cusp
|
Burleith
DC’s 535 House Neighborhood
|
Cathedral Heights
Do You Know Where That Is?
|
Chevy Chase DC
Not to Be Confused With the Other Chevy Chase
|
Cleveland Park
Coming Back After A Rough Year
|
Columbia Heights
DC’s Most Diverse Neighborhood, But For How Long?
|
Crestwood
An Island of Serenity East of the Park
|
Dupont Circle
The Best of DC (For a Price)
|
Foggy Bottom & West End
Where the Institutional Meets the International
|
Forest Hills
Ambassadors and Adventurous Architecture
|
Foxhall Village
350 Homes Just West of Georgetown
|
Friendship Heights
A Shopping Mecca With a Few Places to Live
|
Georgetown
History, Hoyas and H&M
|
Glover Park
One of DC’s Preppier and More Family-Friendly Neighborhoods
|
Kalorama
A Posh View From Embassy Row
|
LeDroit Park
A Quiet Enclave in the Middle of the City
|
Logan Circle
Trendy Now, But Not By Accident
|
Mount Pleasant
Sought-After Homes Surround Main Street in Transition
|
Mount Vernon Triangle
From Seedy to Sought-After
|
Palisades
The Long, Skinny Neighborhood at the City’s Northwest Edge
|
Park View
It’s Not Petworth
|
Penn Quarter/Chinatown
DC’s Go-Go-Go Neighborhood
|
Petworth
Getting a Vibrancy of Its Own
|
Shaw
The Duke’s Former Stomping Ground
|
Shepherd Park
DC’s Garden of Diversity
|
Spring Valley
A Suburb With a DC Zip Code
|
Takoma
Not To Be Confused With Takoma Park
|
Tenleytown
Not Quite Like Its Neighbors
|
U Street Corridor
The Difference a Decade Makes
|
Woodley Park
Deceptively Residential
|
Adams Morgan
No Longer DC’s Hippest Neighborhood, But Still Loved by Residents
|
Southwest DC
The little quadrant that could
Southwest Waterfront
A Neighborhood Where A Change Is Gonna Come
|
Northeast DC
Profiles of 10 neighborhoods in NE
Brookland
New Development Could Shake Up Pastoral Peace
|
Deanwood
A Little Bit of Country Just Inside the District’s Borders
|
Eckington
Not to Be Confused With Bloomingdale
|
Fort Totten
Five Years Could Make a Big Difference
|
H Street
A Place To Party, and To Settle Down
|
Langdon
The Northeast Neighborhood That Few Know About
|
Michigan Park
A Newsletter-On-Your-Doorstep Community
|
NoMa
Evolving from a Brand to a Neighborhood
|
Rosedale
Ripe for Investment Right About Now
|
Trinidad
The Difference 5 Years Makes
|
Woodridge
Big Houses, A Dusty Commercial Strip and Potential
|
Southeast DC
6 neighborhoods from Capitol Hill to East of the River
Capitol Riverfront
Still Growing
|
Hill East
Capitol Hill’s Lesser Known Neighbor
|
Congress Heights
Gradually Rising
|
Hillcrest
Notable for Its Neighborliness
|
Historic Anacostia
Future Promise Breeds Cautious Optimism
|
Eastern Market
A More European Way of Living
|
Off the Beaten Turf
Overlooked parks, shops, cafes, and miscellany throughout DC
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro