Rates as of July 8, 2026
| Program | Mortgage Rate | APR* | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional 30-year fixed | |||
| Conventional 30-year fixed | 6.479% | 6.54% | Unchanged |
| Conventional 15-year fixed | |||
| Conventional 15-year fixed | 5.818% | 5.921% | Unchanged |
| 30-year fixed FHA† | |||
| 30-year fixed FHA† | 6.606% | 6.67% | +0.33 |
| 30-year fixed VA† | |||
| 30-year fixed VA† | 6.65% | 6.706% | +0.34 |
| 5/1 ARM Conventional | |||
| 5/1 ARM Conventional | 5.75% | 6.717% | Unchanged |
| Conventional 20-year fixed | |||
| Conventional 20-year fixed | 6.375% | 6.461% | Unchanged |
| Conventional 10-year fixed | |||
| Conventional 10-year fixed | 6.5% | 6.587% | Unchanged |
| † National average shown — statewide Iowa data for this loan type isn't available yet. | |||
| Rates are provided by our partner network, and may not reflect the market. Your rate might be different. Click here for a personalized rate quote. See our rate assumptions See our rate assumptions here. | |||
Buying a Home in Iowa
For Iowa home buyers and sellers, there are a couple particulars to be aware of.
First: In Iowa, it is legal to purchase a residence without the assistance of a realtor. So you do have the option of going it alone.
Second, there’s a special disclosure document buyers and sellers need to know about.
The Residential Property Seller Disclosure Statement is required under Iowa law. Under Iowa Code § 558A, the seller “shall deliver a written disclosure statement to a person interested in being transferred the real property….” The law also says that the disclosure must be sent to the (potential) buyer by certified or registered mail.
Even though the disclosure statement should include every defect the seller knows about the property, there may be certain issues of which he or she is unaware. So you should satisfy yourself about the condition of the home — if necessary, by ordering a home inspection.
As the purchaser, you should also consider buying a protection called an Owner’s Title Guaranty Certificate. They are issued by the Title Guaranty Division of the Iowa Finance Authority, and can be acquired through a participating attorney.
A title certificate protects you against any outside claims to the property that might arise. And, as opposed to a “title opinion,” a certificate covers issues that cannot be defined because it is impossible to do so. For example, it protects you as a homeowner against survey errors, forged or altered documents, and the legal competence of each person involved in the real estate purchase.
Refinancing in Iowa
Although mortgage refinance is occasionally mentioned in Iowa state laws, there’s little that’s likely to affect you. So you can expect a fairly standard experience.
Iowa Legal Aid warns against refinancing just to get a lower rate. Why? Because the fees involved can sometimes outweigh the advantages of that lower rate.
But this is just a matter of basic arithmetic. Of course, those fees will cost you in the short term — either by depleting your savings or increasing your debt (many lenders let you roll up your closing costs within your new loan). So you need to model your options to see how much you’ll benefit in the long run.
Actually, the math involved in doing that is rather more than basic. So it’s just as well The Mortgage Reports has a refinance calculator specially designed to do the heavy lifting for you.
Refinancing can lower your rate and monthly payment when current rates are below the rate on your existing loan. And, no matter what Iowa Legal Aid says, that’s typically a win-win, providing the amount you shave off your rate is big enough.
And, of course, if you choose, you can withdraw some cash in the form of a cash-out refinance, too.