Widespread speculation that mortgage rates will rise to 5% - levels not seen in more than 5 years – has driven fears that more potential purchasers will stay parked in their rentals. The real estate app Redfin found that more than a quarter of homebuyers would rethink their decision to buy based upon the prospect of these higher rates. Given recent volatility in the stock market and related Treasury bond yields, we are indeed likely to see increased rates for mortgage borrowers. This increased rates could also have the net effect of persuading more current homeowners to stay put rather than move elsewhere, creating more bottlenecks throughout the wider market. The prospect of more expensive loans only underscores the necessity of aggressively saving to build up the largest down payment you can manage, helping to ultimately reduce costs such as private mortgage insurance.