Mortgage Rates For February 20, 2024: What is the Process of Putting in an Offer on a House?

Written By

Tara Clapper
Tara Clapper
Tara Clapper is a personal finance freelance writer located in the Washington, DC area. Over the last two decades, she's regularly covered topics such as credit score improvement, first-time home-buying, and home-based self-employment for various mortgage companies, real estate agents and agencies.

The goal of tracking average mortgage interest rates and securing the best loan is of course to make an actual offer on a house – but how does that work, and how many offers should a prospective homebuyer be expected to put in before an offer is accepted?

Having your offer accepted depends on a few factors including preparedness, luck, and the conditions of the general and local housing markets. Let’s take a look at what actually happens when you find a house you want.

Today’s 30-year mortgage interest rates

The average daily mortgage interest rate for Tuesday, February 13, 2024 is 7.11% for a 30 year fixed rate. The rate fell 0.03% from yesterday and has risen 0.19% from January 2024. This information is sourced daily from correspondent, retail, and wholesale lenders located in the United States.

Today’s 15-year mortgage interest rates

The average daily mortgage interest rate for Tuesday, February 13, 2024 is 6.52% for a 15 year fixed rate. The rate fell 0.03% from yesterday and has risen 0.25% from January 2024. This information is sourced daily from correspondent, retail, and wholesale lenders located in the United States.

How do you make an offer on a house?

When you start to express interest in finding a new home, your real estate agent will urge you to become pre-approved for a specific home loan or mortgage amount. A pre-approval shows you’re serious about any offer you make, and it means a financial institution will finance you for up to a specific amount. This increases the seller’s confidence in accepting your offer, and is an indication of a smoother closing. It also means, for both buyer and seller, that the transaction will take a bit less time as the first step is already completed. 

What are the steps to making an offer on a house?

Making an offer on a home is a three-step process. First, you’ll need to prepare by determining how much you will offer, and what will happen if a competing offer is in the mix. Then, you will make the offer via your agent. Lastly, you’ll enter a negotiating phase in which the seller may provide a counteroffer or make changes to the offer you made. 

How many offers do most people make before buying?

Unfortunately, most buyers don’t get lucky on their first offer – but statistically, it’s likely that people making offers realistic for their market will have their third offer accepted.

How fast is the market moving?

In the current market, many homes are still moving from “recently listed” to “sold” in under a month. This means you should be prepared to buy before you actually enter the market. 

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