Hayes Home Mortgage, LLC

05/22/2026

This week ended up being the most volatile for interest rates since late March. By Tuesday, the average mortgage lender was at the highest level in more than 9 months. But ultimately, Friday's rates ended up the same as last Friday's.

This week ended up being the most volatile for interest rates since late March. By Tuesday, the average mortgage lender was at the highest level in more than 9 months. But ultimately, Friday's rates ended up the same as last Friday's.

05/15/2026

Ask any parent. A lot can change in 9 months. Same story for mortgage rates. During that time, the average 30yr fixed rate dropped 0.65% only to move back up just as much as of the end of the week. This week alone accounted for a 0.23% increase for the average lender as hope quickly faded for a quick end to the Iran war.

It wasn't the best week for mortgage rates with the average lender jumping more than 0.20% from last Friday to the highest level in more than 9 months.

05/08/2026

Wednesday ended up being the most interesting day of the week for rate movement thanks to headlines suggesting The U.S. and Iran were close to signing a one page memo to end the war.

Why a memo?

A more formal peace agreement will be a lot longer than one page and will take a lot more time to hash out. If parties can agree, in principle, on the ultimate details, it allows the war to end immediately rather than wait for the formal agreement.

Why do rates like this news?

Rates are based on bonds. Inflation is bad for bonds (i.e. it pushes rates higher). Higher oil prices contribute to higher inflation. And, of course, the war has been responsible for a huge surge in oil prices. Thus, ending the war should result in relatively lower oil prices, inflation, and rates.

Wednesday ended up being the most interesting day of the week for rate movement thanks to headlines suggesting The U.S. and Iran were close to signing a one page memo to end the war.

04/24/2026

If there were a movie about mortgage rates, this week would be the part where they say "it's quiet... almost TOO quiet." Case in point: MND's daily mortgage rate index has held inside a range of 0.04% since last Tuesday.

This kind of thing happens several times per year. The previous two instances gave way to noticeably sharper movement, but there are older examples that resolved uneventfully.

If there were a movie about mortgage rates, this week would be the part where they say "it's quiet... almost TOO quiet."

04/17/2026

The good news: mortgage rates ended the week at the lowest levels in more than a month.

The puzzling news: rates fell only modestly on Friday even though the bond market said they could have fallen more.

Mortgage lenders consider several factors when deciding where to set mortgage rates. By far and away, the bond market is the most important of those factors. But sometimes rates don't do exactly what the bond market suggests. Friday was a classic example.

Mortgage lenders consider several factors when deciding where to set mortgage rates. By far and away, the bond market is the most important of those factors. But sometimes rates don't do exactly what the bond market suggests.

04/10/2026

Whereas the entire month of March was "up, up, and away" for interest rates, April has been far calmer by comparison. The average lender ended the week in slightly lower territory and there was less volatility to boot. Refreshingly, the lower volatility means that weekly surveys were aligned with daily rates in showing the modest drop (unlike last week).

Whereas the entire month of March was "up, up, and away" for interest rates, April has been far calmer by comparison.

04/03/2026

First things first, due to the market's reaction to the Iran war, mortgage rates remain much higher than they were at the end of February. That said, they definitely did not move higher this week.

You may have seen contrary headlines on Wednesday and Thursday. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and Freddie Mac release their weekly rate surveys on those days, respectively. Both reported sharply higher rates. Both are always at risk of being stale in a dynamic rate environment.

First things first, mortgage rates remain much higher than they were at the end of February. That said, they definitely did not move higher this week.

04/02/2026

Very happy to announce that Hayes Home Mortgage is now licensed to help our clients in WA!

03/27/2026

"War" typically qualifies as a rate-friendly catalyst, but there's an important exception for wars that lead to inflation. The chain of causality here is fairly simple. A lot of the world's energy products pass through a waterway that has been heavily impacted by the war. In turn, the prices of those commodities have risen sharply, thus increasing inflation expectations.

Rising inflation expectations go hand in hand with higher interest rates and lower odds of Fed rate cuts.

The Iran war continues to dominate financial markets and mortgage rates are no exception.

03/20/2026

While the word "regime" is often seen in a geopolitical context, it's also common in financial markets. With respect to rates, the most recent regime involved steady improvement starting in May 2025 and ending 3 weeks ago. Since then, a new regime has been taking over and it kicked into high gear this week.

While the word "regime" is often seen in a geopolitical context, it's also common in financial markets. With respect to rates, the most recent regime invol,...

03/17/2026

Thank you so much, Eric Cavanaugh with Nurture Realty and Gina Audritsh with Hallmark Properties, Inc. for such a smooth transaction. Always love working with true professionals!