Rates for 30 year home loans have inched up, hitting 5 percent for the first time in nearly a month.  The average rate in up to 5 percent, up from 4.92 percent.  The record low of the of 4.78 percent hit in the spring.  Rates are still very attractive for many people looking to buy a home.  Last month, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues agreed to slow down the pace of the program of the Feds buying mortgage backed securities, which has been keep interest rates artificially low.  The Fed has now agreed to wrap up the purchases by the end of next March.  It will be interesting to see what that does to the interest rates but I am pressed to say that rates will be heading back up.