Fixed rate mortgages
A fixed rate mortgage provides guaranteed monthly payments for a predetermined period of time. Usually this period is for two, three or five years, although the Government would prefer us to have them for 10 or 25 years. This, they believe, would bring an end to the volatility that can sometimes occur in the marketplace.
If you're the kind of person who likes certainty and the reassurance of knowing exactly what your monthly outgoings will be, then a fixed rate mortgage may be best for you.
A fixed rate mortgage sets the interest rate that you will pay for a specified period, guaranteeing the amount payable each month for a fixed length of time.
Once the fixed time period expires your mortgage repayments switch to the mortgage lender's standard variable rate. This arrangement will enable you to more accurately forecast your budget during the early years of your mortgage term.
In addition, if the interest rate rises above the fixed rate that you are paying, you will actually save money. However, the reverse of this is also true. If the interest rate goes down whilst the fixed rate deal is in place, you will end up paying more. With interest rates forecast to fall in 2008, a fixed rate may not be the most suitable for you.