The Fed Held Rates Steady. What Does That Mean for Homebuyers?

The Fed held interest rates steady at their first meeting of 2026, but that might not have much immediate impact on homebuyers.

That’s because the Fed doesn’t set mortgage rates, and the rate it sets doesn’t generally have an immediate impact on homebuying.

Mortgage rates are shaped by longer-term market forces, and those forces don’t always move in sync with the central bank.

What the Fed Did

At its January meeting, the Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate unchanged , maintaining the target range it established after a series of rate cuts in 2025.

The Fed’s benchmark, or the federal funds rate, is a short-term overnight rate that banks use to lend to one another. It influences borrowing costs across the economy, particularly for products like credit cards, auto loans, and home equity lines of credit.

But fixed-rate mortgages work differently.

What the Fed Holding Rates Steady Means for Homebuyers

For homebuyers, the key takeaway is that a Fed pause doesn’t automatically translate into changing mortgage rates.

That’s because 30-year fixed mortgage rates are tied more closely to long-term bond markets, especially the 10-year Treasury yield via mortgage-backed securities pricing and spreads, than to the Fed’s short-term policy rate. That means mortgage rates can rise even when the Fed is cutting rates, or stay elevated when the Fed is on hold.

Here’s a look at 2024 and 2025 data from Freddie Mac and the Federal Reserve showing that mortgage rates don't track the Fed’s benchmark rate closely in real time. 

This chart uses basis points, or BP. Basis points are hundredths of a percentage point, so 1 basis point would be .01%. 

Mortgage rates vs. the Fed’s policy rate

Sources: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, Federal Reserve

Recent Fed decisions don't show a consistent short-term link between the Fed’s policy rate and mortgage rates. Across nine meetings from early 2025 through early 2026, 30-year mortgage rates sometimes fell after the Fed acted, sometimes rose, and sometimes barely moved at all.

That pattern holds even when separating rate cuts from holds. During the first half of 2025, when the Fed repeatedly held rates steady, mortgage rates still moved by as much as 11 basis points in either direction in the following week. Some of the largest week-to-week declines occurred after “no-change” meetings, underscoring that mortgage pricing is not simply waiting on Fed action.

The same disconnect appears during the late-2025 rate-cut cycle. Despite three consecutive quarter-point cuts, mortgage rates declined only modestly after one decision and rose after the other two, by a few basis points each. In short, a Fed cut did not reliably translate into immediate mortgage relief.

Taken together, the data show that mortgage rates respond more to bond-market expectations, inflation outlooks, and investor demand than to the Fed’s benchmark rate alone, especially in the days immediately surrounding a policy decision.

Mortgage rates are driven by a different set of forces than the Fed’s overnight rate. Mortgage rates are forward-looking: Long-term treasury yields, investor expectations, and future expected inflation all play a key role in shaping mortgage rates

Should You Wait for the Fed to Lock in Your Rate?

Waiting on the Fed to cut rates before locking a mortgage rate is a risky strategy.

Mortgage rates often move ahead of Fed decisions, pricing in expectations weeks or months in advance. By the time the Fed actually cuts or holds rates, lenders may have already adjusted.

Mortgage rates didn't show a dramatic same-day move on the day of the Fed's decision, according to Mortgage News Daily's rate index.

If you find a home you can afford at a rate that fits your budget, locking your rate in sooner can reduce uncertainty even if rates drift lower.