Mortgage rates topped 7% this week, a key psychological threshold, in a sign of the US housing market’s unrelenting affordability challenges.

The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages surpassed 7 percent for the first time since May, Freddie Mac reported on Thursday, extending a weekslong climb that could push more buyers and sellers to the sidelines.

Higher rates are dimming hopes for a recovery in the sluggish housing market.

"While I'd love to say rates will drop below 6% in 2025, I think it's a moderate probability and not a certainty," says Steven Parangi, a licensed mortgage loan originator and owner of Alpine Mortgage Services. His view aligns with the Mortgage Bankers Association's prediction that rates will stay between 6% and 7% throughout the year.

After climbing to their most expensive level in more than seven months, 30-year mortgage rates held steady Tuesday. Rate movement was mixed for other loan types.

The 30-year mortgage rate inched up for the fifth week in a row, Freddie Mac says, making it more expensive to take on a mortgage.

Mortgage rates have experienced fluctuations over the last few months, with a general upward trend in recent weeks. As of January 15, 2025, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage stands at 7.01%, reflecting a slight increase from earlier this year — and from the rates we saw in late 2024.

Home builders say cancellations are increasing because of rising mortgage rates even as their confidence in the market rose slightly over the past month, according to a new survey. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surpassed 7%,