Mortgage rates

However, both Zillow's and Optimal Blue put the 30-year fixed mortgage lower than where it was seven days prior.

The May uptick in nonbank housing-finance payrolls came almost entirely from lender hiring as loan broker numbers plateaued and construction demand persisted.

A resilient U.S. economy, lingering inflation and comments from the Federal Reserve contributed to a 10-basis-point hike in the 30-year fixed rate, Freddie Mac said.

The markets had a muted reaction to the Federal Open Market Committee pause on raising short-term rates a week ago, Freddie Mac found.

But the Mortgage Bankers Association also raised the dollar volume that it predicts the purchase market will originate this year.

Monetary policy officials have finally gone a month without tightening but made it clear more action could lie ahead, suggesting it could be awhile before housing finance costs consistently fall.

But activity is still very low, as just 1% of the market is in the position to refinance thanks to high interest rates, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods said.

A change in investor sentiment toward an expected pause by the Fed in short-term rate hikes was the driving force behind the current surge, Freddie Mac said.

Home purchasers had to come up with 0.9% more in April versus what they would have paid in March and 11.8% higher on a year-over-year basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Jobs numbers, inflation data and the continued debate over raising the debt ceiling are factors applying upward pressure.