view the evolution of interest rates, which continue to decrease in September

In September, the average rate for a twenty-year loan was estimated at 3.55%. A figure that could fall further by the end of 2024.

Still lower. Interest rates on real estate loans for individuals continue to fall in September 2024. The average fixed rate for a twenty-year loan is now 3.55%, according to data from the brokerage firm Meilleur Taux transmitted to franceinfo. A figure that has been falling since January 2024, which was then set at 4.05%, after two years of very significant increases. This improvement may continue in the coming months, thanks to the decrease in rates of the European Central Bank (ECB), announced Thursday, September 12.

The month of September returned to a more significant rate of decline than in July and August. “The summer was a parenthesis during which rates fell less than in previous months, due to threats of political instability in France”explains to franceinfo Maël Bernier, spokesperson for Meilleur Taux. “The appointment of Michel Barnier as Prime Minister has reassured the markets”she analyses. The slowdown in inflation and the measures announced in June and September by the ECB also contributed to this development.

And it doesn’t end there. “It is possible that there will be a further rate cut by the ECB before the end of the year”explain Caroline Allorant, Director of Development and Communication at the Crédit Logement – ​​CSA observatory. “Depending on the level of this decline, this should fuel the movement until the end of the year.” The expert estimates that average rates over twenty years could reach around 3.25% by the end of the year. “This gentle decline should continue in 2025”she reassures.

In this context, bank appointments should go better for individuals who wish to buy a home. “In 2023, only three major banks were lending money, because they had savings. AToday, all banking institutions are lenders”reports Maël Bernier. Better, “Banks have very high commercial targets that have not yet been met, so they have a real willingness to lend.” Enough to breathe new life into the real estate market, with around 40,000 agreements signed last month, compared to less than 20,000 in November 2023, according to Meilleur Taux.

This favourable development should not, however, give rise to hope of a return to very low rates, around 1.20%, as at the start of 2022. “It was an exception in the history of real estate rates, recalls Caroline Allorant. I don’t think we’ll see rates this low again anytime soon.”