One of the most stressful parts of buying or refinancing a home is locking in a mortgage rate. Home loan rates vary depending on various factors, including your credit score, down payment size, and — this is a big one — where you live. Mortgage rates by state At the time of publication, the national average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage sits at 6.37%, according to Zillow. That figure could be slightly higher or lower, though. It depends on which state you live in and whether you want to buy a house or ref ...

If you have a significant goal, like paying off credit card debt or renovating your kitchen, you may be interested in tapping into your home equity to help you afford it. You can access your home equity — what your property is worth minus what you still owe on it — in several ways, including taking out a second mortgage or refinancing your existing mortgage loan. What is a second mortgage? A second mortgage is exactly how it sounds. You take out another home loan on your residence — in addition to your ...