Mortgage Rates in September 2026: Are 7% Home Loans Here to Stay? What Buyers and Homeowners

Mortgage Rates in September 2026: Are 7% Home Loans Here to Stay? What Buyers and Homeowners Should Do Published by VeryConcern Updated: September 2026 Mortgage rates remain one of the biggest factors influencing the U.S. housing market in 2026. For buyers, even a small change in the mortgage rate can significantly affect monthly payments and the total cost of purchasing a home. For existing homeowners, higher rates can make refinancing less attractive and discourage moves that would require replacing a low-rate mortgage with a more expensive loan. As September 2026 begins, the widely watched 30-year fixed mortgage rate is below 7% but remains relatively high by the standards of the years immediately preceding the pandemic. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.76% on September 10, 2026 , while the average 15-year fixed mortgage stood at 6.09%. The 30-year rate was 6.71% one week earlier and 6.35% at the same time a year earlier. That raises an important que…