Mortgage rates fell again for the second straight day--something that has only happened a few other times so far this year.  On an even brighter note, this was the first week of 2018 where the average lender ended the week offering rates that were at least as good as those seen at the end of the previous week.  In most cases, today's rates are right in line with those seen last Friday. 

For the average lender, that means conventional 30yr fixed rates of 4.5 to 4.625% on top tier scenarios.  The same scenarios were seeing quotes of 3.875-4.0% at the beginning of the year.

As we discussed yesterday, "good days" for mortgage rates need some context at the moment.  Yesterday was a good day too, but it happened to follow the worst day in more than 4 years (in terms of outright levels).  In general, as rates trend higher, we should expect to see these sorts of bounces back from time to time.  At some point, one of these bounces could materialize into a broader recovery.  While such a move isn't likely to restore the same rates seen earlier in the year, it could nonetheless make a meaningful difference compared to recent highs.

Unfortunately, we still haven't seen enough improvement to conclude that we're on the verge of such a recovery.  That would begin to change if next week is as decent as this week was.