Current Minnesota Mortgage and Refinance Rates
Compare offers to find the best rates for your home loan
What is the current mortgage rates forecast?
LendingTree’s mortgage rate forecast has rates currently remaining in the 6% to 7% range throughout 2025. Despite three rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, mortgage rates have remained high, and experts now predict they will not fall below 6% in the near future.
How do I get the best mortgage rate for my Minnesota home loan?
There are quite a few different factors involved in determining mortgage rates and, unfortunately, not all of them are within your control as a borrower. However, there are some things you can do to make sure you receive the best mortgage rate possible, including:
- Improving your credit score: In general, the higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you’ll receive. With that in mind, making an effort to boost your score before you apply for a loan can lead to savings.
- Lowering your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio: Your DTI ratio measures your total monthly income versus all of your recurring monthly debts. It helps lenders predict how well you’ll be able to keep up with your mortgage payments. You can improve your ratio in one of two ways: by increasing your income or by paying down your debts.
- Buying a single-family home: As a rule of thumb, single-family homebuyers receive lower mortgage rates than those who buy manufactured homes, multifamily homes, vacation homes or investment properties.
- Investing in mortgage points: Buying mortgage points typically allows you to reduce your rate by up to 0.25 percentage points. In this case, you’re shrinking your total interest charges by agreeing to pay an additional fee upfront.
- Shopping around for a home loan: Since interest rates are individually determined, getting loan estimates from multiple lenders can help lower your rate. LendingTree data shows that shopping around can save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.
Read more about our picks for the best mortgage lenders.
When should I lock in my mortgage rate?
After you apply for a mortgage and get approved, the next step is to ask your lender about a rate lock. As you might be able to guess, a mortgage rate lock ensures that your interest rate stays the same until your scheduled closing date.
Minnesota home loan programs
Coming up with the funds to cover a down payment and closing costs can be a huge barrier for many Minnesotans. However, fortunately for MN first-time homebuyers and repeat buyers alike, the state offers several home loan programs to help with these costs.
Here are three worth considering:
Start Up Program
Minnesota Housing offers the Start Up program for first-time homebuyers. The program combines a 30-year fixed-rate home loan with down payment assistance (DPA) worth up to $18,000.
Who qualifies?
Eligible borrowers must:
Qualify as a first-time homebuyer by not having owned a home within the last three years
Meet certain income and purchase price limits
Complete a homebuyer education program
Step Up Program
Repeat homebuyers, as well as first-time homebuyers who don’t meet the income or purchase price limits set by the Start Up program, may benefit from Minnesota Housing’s Step Up program. This program also combines a 30-year or 15-year fixed-rate home loan with down payment assistance options worth up to $18,000.
Who qualifies?
Eligible borrowers must:
Meet certain income and purchase price limits
Live in the house as your primary residence
Complete a homebuyer education course
Monthly payment DPA loan
Minnesota Housing’s monthly payment DPA loan can be used in conjunction with either of the mortgage programs above. This loan is worth up to $18,000 for down payment and closing cost assistance and must be repaid with interest over the course of 10 years.
Who qualifies?
Eligible borrowers must:
Be enrolled in the Start Up or Step Up loan program
Meet your program’s income limits
Learn about different types of MN mortgage loans
→Minnesota conventional loans: If you have a decent credit score, you may want to consider applying for a conventional loan. These loans are typically thought of as the most desirable mortgages, because they meet the minimum qualifying requirements set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
→Minnesota FHA loans: For their part, FHA requirements are often slightly more forgiving than the requirements for conventional loans. If you have a minimum 580 credit score, you only need to make a 3.5% down payment to qualify. That said, your score can be as low as 500, provided you can make a 10% down payment.
→Minnesota VA loans: Eligible military borrowers in Minnesota will likely want to shop for VA loans. As a rule, these loans don’t require a down payment or monthly mortgage insurance. However, individual lenders may set their own eligibility criteria.
→Minnesota streamline refinances: Those hoping to refinance an existing FHA or VA can do so through a streamlined application process. Both the FHA streamline refinance and VA interest rate reduction refinance loan (IRRRL) programs give eligible homeowners the opportunity to refinance their mortgages while meeting fewer requirements and completing less paperwork (however, you will need to refi to the same loan type you began with).
