mortgage rates 100 years

100 Years of Mortgage Rates in America: What History Teaches Us About Buying a Home Today

1920s–1940s (Great Depression era) No standard 30-year loans Short-term loans, high defaults Massive housing collapse → led to reforms  This crisis created modern mortgages (fixed, long-term)  1950s–1960s (Golden Era) Rates: ~4%–6% Strong middle class growth Government-backed h

March 21, 2026 · 4 min read