Rate on 30-year mortgage near record low WASHINGTON Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages moved closer to their record lows this week, a trend that has made home buying more affordable and helped sustain a housing recovery. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average rate on the 30-year loan slipped to 3.34 percent from 3.35 percent last week. That's near the 3.31 percent rate reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971. The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage ticked down to 2.64 percent from 2.65 percent last week. The record low is 2.63 percent. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 3.66 percent in 2012, the lowest annual average in 65 years, according to Freddie Mac. Cheaper mortgages are a key reason sales of previously occupied homes have risen to their highest level in three years.