A big jump in mortgage rates over the past two months may start to cool the rapid rise of home prices in the second half of the year, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Mortgage rates have shot up from lows of 3.59 percent in the beginning of May, to 4.58 percent during the last week of June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Rates are at its highest level in two years.

"A rule of thumb holds that every one percentage point increase in interest rates reduces affordability by 10 percent, so the recent move in rates just made homes about 10 percent more expensive to buyers who need to finance their purchase.......continue reading.