Chris Sweda/ Chicago Tribune
A sign stands outside a house for sale in the 4400 block of North Mozart Avenue in Chicago. 
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Average mortgage interest rates ticked downward this week, as speculation continued about when the Federal Reserve will taper its bond purchasing.
Freddie Mac said the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 4.51 percent this week, compared with 4.58 percent last week and 3.59 percent in the same week a year ago.
The average interest rate on a 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 3.54 percent, according to the weekly survey. That compared with 3.60 percent last week and 2.86 percent in the year-ago period.
