06/05/2026
A lot of people are sitting on the sidelines waiting for mortgage rates to drop back to 3%. Here’s perspective on where rates have actually been throughout history:
📊 1975 — 9.0%
📊 1980 — 14.4%
📊 1985 — 13.5%
📊 1990 — 10.1%
📊 1995 — 7.9%
📊 2000 — 8.0%
📊 2005 — 5.7%
📊 2010 — 5.0%
📊 2015 — 4.0%
📊 2020 — 2.7%
📊 2021 — 3.1%
📊 2022 — 5.3%
📊 2023 — 7.0%
📊 2024 — 7.0%
📊 2025 — 6.7%
📊 Current — 6.5%
The 2020 and 2021 rates were a once in a generation anomaly — not the new normal. For most of American history a rate between 6% and 9% was completely standard.
Waiting for 3% to come back could mean waiting forever. Meanwhile home prices keep climbing and you keep paying someone else’s mortgage in rent.
The best time to buy is when you’re financially ready — not when the rate is perfect.
