Run your numbers against the real, live 30-year and 15-year fixed rates — pulled every Friday morning straight from Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED. See your principal & interest, taxes, and insurance breakdown, plus a rate-shock table showing what happens if rates move 25, 50, 75, or 100 basis points.
Median sale prices are the U.S. Census/HUD Median Sales Price of Houses Sold (MSPUS) for that period. Monthly payment is principal & interest only on a 30-year loan at 80% LTV (i.e., 20% down) at the rate shown — taxes, insurance, and HOA excluded. Income required applies the classic 28% front-end DTI rule (housing payment ≤ 28% of gross monthly income), so it’s the minimum gross household income a lender would typically want to see. The point is to show how dramatically affordability has shifted over time: a low rate often masks a much higher home price (and a much higher paycheck requirement), and vice versa.
| Era | 30-yr rate | Median price | Monthly P&I (80% LTV) | Income needed (28% rule) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-time highOct 1981 · Volcker inflation fight | 18.63% | $70,000 | $873 | $37,400 |
| 1990s averageStable expansion | ~8.10% | ~$133,000 | $788 | $33,800 |
| Pre-GFC peakJul 2006 · Housing bubble top | 6.76% | $246,500 | $1,280 | $54,900 |
| 2000s averageBoom → bust | ~6.30% | ~$220,000 | $1,089 | $46,700 |
| Post-GFC lowNov 2012 · QE3 era | 3.31% | $248,000 | $870 | $37,300 |
| 2010s averagePost-GFC ZIRP era | ~4.10% | ~$295,000 | $1,140 | $48,900 |
| All-time lowJan 2021 · COVID emergency rates | 2.65% | $401,700 | $1,296 | $55,500 |
| Hike-cycle peakOct 2023 · Fed inflation fight | 7.79% | $431,000 | $2,480 | $106,300 |
| 50-yr averagePMMS lifetime mean (Apr 1971–today) | ~7.74% | — | — | — |
| TodayWeek ending May 28, 2026 | 6.53% | ~$420,000 | $2,130 | $91,302 |
What this loan looks like at the same price & down payment, with the rate moved by basis points.
Rates pulled directly from Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) via the St. Louis Fed FRED API. Refreshed every Friday morning — the same source banks and major real-estate sites cite.
See your monthly payment at the current rate plus four shock scenarios: minus 25, 50, 75, and 100 basis points. The same logic powers the institutional-grade RefiIntel engine inside POSTADS.
This page collects nothing. No address, no email, no credit pull. Pure client-side math. If you want the full portfolio refi engine, sign in — otherwise crunch numbers all you like.
Estimate only. Not a loan offer. The interest rates shown are national survey averages (Freddie Mac PMMS, 30-year and 15-year fixed, conventional conforming, 0.6 average points). Your actual rate will depend on credit score, loan-to-value ratio, occupancy, property type, debt-to-income ratio, lender pricing, and market conditions at the time of lock.
Property tax and homeowners-insurance percentages are user-supplied estimates — actual figures vary widely by state, county, and property. Points, lender fees, escrow, and closing costs are not included in the calculation. This tool is informational only and is not financial, lending, or investment advice.
FHA & VA notes: FHA loans assume the standard 1.75% upfront MIP financed into the loan and an annual MIP of 0.55% (for <5% down, 30-year, base loan ≤ FHA limit) split monthly. VA loans assume the 2024 funding-fee schedule (first use 2.15% / 0% down or 1.5% / 5% down or 1.25% / 10%+ down, subsequent use 3.3%) financed into the loan; fee is waived for veterans with a service-connected disability rating. Both program defaults are illustrative national figures — actual MIP/funding-fee amounts depend on loan amount, term, LTV, occupancy, county loan limits, and current FHA/VA pricing schedules. Conventional PMI is not modeled here (varies widely by credit profile and lender).
Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, retrieved via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis FRED API (2026-05-28).