There was one positive of the housing slump: Mortgage interest rates kept going down.

Now that the housing market is in the early stages of a fragile recovery, mortgage interest rates are no longer falling so regularly. In fact, they're going up.

The latest report from Zillow.com shows that mortgage interest rates across the nation rose to an average of 5.36 percent for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

The week earlier, that average stood at 5.26 percent.

This week, the average rate for a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage loan across the country hit 4.69 percent, up from 4.62 percent one week earlier.

If you're thinking of buying a home, don't let these small increases in mortgage interest rates deter you. These rates are still historically low. Besides, you're still able to get a great bargain for housing these days in most markets. Many sellers are still desperate to move their homes, homes that have been sitting on the market for months or, maybe, a year or longer.

Sellers are still willing to compromise on everything from price and closing dates to the amount of repairs they're willing to make before a sale closes.

It makes sense to follow the path of mortgage interest rates when you're shopping for a home. But it doesn't make sense to obsess on them so much that it prevents you from making an offer on the home of your dreams.