U.S. mortgage rates last week jumped to a two-year high and are expected to continue rising, which may further squeeze first-time homebuyers out of the market, while inflation continues to rise rapidly across the nation. Many buyers were already struggling with higher home prices and limited housing stock. The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.69 percent for the week ending Feb. 10, up from 3.55 percent the previous week, according to a report released on Feb. 10 by Freddie Mac. The average long-term rate had been flat for three weeks after rising nearly a half-point in January. Mortgage rates are now at their highest rate since January 2020 when it was at 3.72 percent, before the start of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Last year’s average long-term rate was at 2.73 percent. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages—which is popular among those refinancing their …