Current West Virginia Mortgage and Refinance Rates
Compare offers to find the best rates for your home loan
What is the current mortgage rates forecast for 2024?
The current mortgage interest rates forecast is for average 30-year rates to remain between 6% and 7% for most of 2024. LendingTree senior economist Jacob Channel expects to see rates reach the lower end of that range during the latter half of the year. This tracks with the Federal Reserve’s intention to implement three rate cuts sometime this year — so far, though, it has held rates steady all year. If rate cuts do materialize, we can expect mortgage rates to dip in response.
How do I get the best mortgage rate for my West Virginia home loan?
While it’s true that there are many factors determining mortgage rates that are out of your hands, there are also several others you can control — and it can pay to take action on them.
Here are a few steps you can take right now to get the best mortgage rate:
- Boost your credit. Your credit score may be the single biggest factor influencing the mortgage rates lenders will offer you. If you can boost your score, you’ll almost always see better rate offers. If you want to check in on your credit score or learn about the factors that can improve it, sign up for LendingTree Spring.
- Lower your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. Your DTI ratio is how lenders evaluate your debt load. If you can lower it, you’ll see better rate offers, because lenders will view you as less of a risky bet. You can lower your DTI by increasing your income, paying off some debts or getting a mortgage cosigner.
- Buy a single-family, site-built home. If you want the lowest interest rates, you should avoid buying a manufactured home, multifamily home, vacation home or investment property. Lenders view traditional homes as safer investments, so they’ll offer better deals when lending for them.
- Pay for mortgage points. Mortgage points allow you to “buy down” your interest rate, which reduces it by up to 0.25 percentage points for each point purchased. If you can afford the fee — one point typically costs 1% of your loan amount — it can make sense to buy down your rate. However, it may not always be a more effective strategy compared to simply putting the same funds toward paying down your principal balance.
- Compare offers from multiple lenders. A simple, free way to ensure that you’re getting the best mortgage rate possible is to comparison shop. That means gathering loan estimates from three to five lenders before you choose one. Doing so can save you thousands over the life of your loan, according to LendingTree data.
Read more about our picks for the best mortgage lenders.
When should I lock in my mortgage rate?
Once you’ve applied for a mortgage and received a loan offer you want to take advantage of, you’re ready to shop. And as soon as you find a house you want to pounce on, it’s time to request a mortgage rate lock. “Locking in” your rate means that what you saw in your loan estimate is what you get, no matter what the broader market does. Without a rate lock, your interest rate could increase before you make it to the closing table.
2024 West Virginia home loan programs
WVHDF Homeownership Program
Who wouldn’t love to take out a home loan with a below-market interest rate? First-time homebuyers and qualified veterans can do just that with a mortgage from the West Virginia Housing Development Fund (WVHDF). Less interest means more affordable monthly payments and lower overall loan costs.
Who qualifies?
Borrowers must:
Be a first-time homebuyer* or qualified veteran
Earn within the program’s income limits, which vary depending on your county and household size
Purchase a home within the program’s price limits, which range from $349,525 to $806,598 depending on the house’s location
Purchase a home on no more than five acres
Complete a homebuyer education course
* Repeat buyers purchasing in a targeted county — those counties not listed on the program page — are also eligible
Who qualifies as a first-time homebuyer?
People who have never owned a home
People who haven’t owned a principal residence in the last three years
Qualified veterans, regardless of their real estate ownership history
WVHDF Low Down Home Loan Program
This down payment assistance program offers up to $8,000 to borrowers who need a little help with the upfront costs of their mortgage. The funds come through a 15-year loan with a low, 2% interest rate.
Who qualifies?
Borrowers must:
Use the program in conjunction with a WVHDF Homeownership program loan
WVHDF Movin Up Loan Program
This is WVHDF’s loan program for everyone — first-time and repeat buyers alike. Unlike the Homeownership program covered above, this program has no first-time homebuyer requirement and no acreage limit. It also offers more generous income limits, which helps widen the swath of West Virginians it can benefit. That said, borrowers whose income falls under 80% of the area median income can receive special discounts, including lower interest rates and reduced private mortgage insurance premiums.
Who qualifies?
Borrowers must:
Earn within the program’s income limits, which are $130,560 for a one- to two-person household and $152,320 for households of three or more
Purchase a home within the program’s price limits, which range from $349,525 to $806,598 depending on the house’s location
Complete a homebuyer education course

Learn about different types of WV mortgage loans
→ West Virginia conventional loans. Many consider conventional loans the industry standard, and they’re a popular choice. However, they come with relatively strict minimum requirements, so they’re not always in reach — especially for borrowers with lower credit scores.
→ West Virginia FHA loans. FHA loans can put homebuying in reach for more borrowers, in large part because they have more forgiving credit requirements. If you make at least a 10% down payment, you can qualify with a credit score as low as 500. And if you have at least a 580 score, you can put down as little as 3.5%.
→ West Virginia VA loans. VA loans offer a lot of flexibility and value to military borrowers. Those with full VA entitlement can purchase or refinance without making a down payment or paying for mortgage insurance.
→ West Virginia streamline refinances make sense for those who want to refinance from an FHA loan into an FHA loan, or from a VA loan into another VA loan. To do this, you’ll need to utilize an FHA streamline refinance loan or VA interest rate reduction refinance loan (IRRRL). They’re called “streamline” loans because they require less paperwork and time to complete than rate-and-term refinances.
