High mortgage rates make it difficult for prospective homebuyers to enter the market.

Mortgage rates could decline if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates next year.

Here are nine projections from experts on when the Fed's first rate cut will come.

High mortgage rates have effectively frozen the US housing market. And while lower rates could be on the horizon, Americans might have to wait awhile.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is over 7%, up from roughly 3% at the beginning of 2022. This has deterred prospective first-time homebuyers from taking the plunge and made existing homeowners reluctant to sell their homes and buy another — they'd rather stick with the superlow rates they already locked in.