Mortgage Rates Dip for a Third Day, but 7% Still Rules American Housing

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 7.24%, Forbes Advisor says, down slightly from a week ago, while Freddie Mac's weekly survey shows 7.32%.

Not investment advice: this article is for information only.

Chanan Zevin - Chief Editor and Head of Desks

Published 26 October 2026 at 14:38 GMT+3

AI-generated image of a suburban American street with a blank for-sale sign in autumn — AI-generated image: AI-generated image (illustrative, not a photograph of the events or places described)

The rate

Forbes Advisor, citing the Mortgage Research Center, puts the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% on Monday, against 7.26% a week earlier, the third straight daily decline. The 15-year fixed is 6.44%.

The benchmark

Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released on 22 October, showed the 30-year fixed at 7.32%, down from 7.40% the week before.

Background

Lower Treasury yields have taken a little off borrowing costs. But with rates above 7%, many owners with cheaper loans are still unwilling to sell.

What to watch

This week's Federal Reserve decision and the next Freddie Mac survey on Thursday.

Sources

Forbes Advisor, 'Mortgage Rates Today: October 26, 2026', 26 October 2026 · forbes.com
Freddie Mac, 'Mortgage Rates Decrease to 7.32%' (Primary Mortgage Market Survey), 22 October 2026 · freddiemac.gcs-web.com