The average monthly payment on an outstanding home loan reached $2,005 in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Realtor.com’s latest data based on FHFA figures. That’s up from $1,255 in 2013 and $1,390 in 2021, a roughly 44% increase over the past four years. 

Even with that increase, most homeowners are still sitting at relatively low rates compared with today’s market, a result of pandemic-era loans. 

In Q4 2025, 19.7% of outstanding mortgages had rates below 3%, slightly down from 19.8% in the prior quarter. More than half of all mortgages — 50.6% — were still at or below 4%. 

At the same time, higher-rate loans are gradually becoming more common. According to the report, 10.6% of mortgages fall in the 5% to 6% range, while 21.9% are at 6% or higher. Overall, about 78% of outstanding mortgages remain below 6%. 

The age of existing mortgages shows just how much the 2020–2021 period still defines the market, the report highlights. The largest share of outstanding mortgages is between five and seven years old at 38%, making it the biggest age group in the report. These are mostly borrowers who refinanced during the pandemic and haven’t had a strong reason to move since. 

Meanwhile, newer loans make up a smaller piece of the market than they used to. Mortgages less than four years old now account for 32.1% of outstanding loans, down from nearly 60% two years earlier.