Mortgage rates are continuing their upward motion while potential homebuyers and sellers face a shifting housing market and the affordable housing sector welcomes a well-known new participant. The Home Loan Situation Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average 4.72 percent for the week ending April 7, up from last week when it averaged 4.67 percent. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.91 percent, up from last week when it averaged 3.83 percent. And the five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.56 percent, up from last week when it averaged 3.5 percent “Mortgage rates have increased 1.5 percentage points over the last three months alone, the fastest three-month rise since May of 1994,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The increase in mortgage rates has softened purchase activity such that the monthly payment for those looking to buy a home has risen by at least 20 percent from a year ago.” As mortgage …