Saturday, 4 September 2010

Remortgage Deals: Top 5 Tips For Choosing a Remortgage Deal By David P Walker At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

David P Walker

There are a number of reasons why you might want to remortgage. A remortgage deal could allow you to release equity from your property, to take advantage of a better offer following a change in the base rate, to exit your current mortgage deal if the introductory rate is ending, or simply to reorganise your finances following a change in circumstances.

For many people, remortgaging can have a big impact on their everyday life. Depending on the terms of your current mortgage deal and the size of your mortgage, you may find that remortgaging could save you hundreds or even thousands of pounds a year. In order to find the best option for your needs, use our top 5 tips for choosing a remortgage deal.

1. Research the market

Make sure you research the market properly before choosing a deal. You might be able to find a good remortgage deal with your current mortgage provider. However, you should check elsewhere in the mortgage market and make sure you do thorough research before making your choice. The deal you choose could make thousands of pounds of difference.

2. Consider extra benefits

As well as the monthly payments, which you can work out using a remortgage calculator, think about how other aspects of the deal could affect your life. For example, paying interest-only for the first few years will leave you with more money each month at first but it will take you longer to pay off the balance.

3. Consider other costs

Along with the benefits provided with each deal, take note of any costs you will incur. They could include exit fees charged by your current mortgage provider and setup costs charged by your remortgage provider. You need to balance up all of these costs and fees against any saving or benefits you will get from the new deal.

4. Think about the length of deal

Many remortgage deals will have an introductory rate which only lasts for two or three years, whereas you may take many decades to pay off the whole balance. So be realistic about when you will have the opportunity to look around for a new mortgage deal. If you are happy to go back and reassess your deal before the beneficial rate ends, a short-term deal could work. However, as before, you need to take into account the costs of changing your mortgage deal and think about whether they might outweigh the savings from choosing a short-term deal with a good rate.

5. Compare remortgage deals regularly

Remortgage deals change regularly, influenced by the base rate and a range of other market factors. Try to stay aware of what’s available on the remortgage market and keep checking the different offers available, comparing them by using a remortgage calculator and by speaking to different providers about the various pros and cons of different deals. It may be a risk to change your deal, but staying put could be more of a risk if you are currently lumbered with an unfavourable monthly rate.

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Types of Remortgages

Before we dive into types of remortgage loans, it's important to understand the basics of what a remortgage is. A remortgage is a type of transaction where the homeowner chooses to switch mortgage lenders, but they will stay in the same property as in the first mortgage. People opt to remortgage when they want to save on repayments or if they want an influx of surplus funds. Those who have gone through a new mortgage application may find that the application for remortgage is remarkably similar, yet slightly more simple and less time consuming.

Types of Remortgages

Remortgages generally fall into three categories: fixed rate, discounted rate, and variable rate. With a fixed rate, your payments will be set for a certain length of time. During this period, your payment rate will not fluctuate up or down, but it will stay at the same level. Once the predetermined fixed-rate period is over, the loan will then adopt a variable rate. A discounted rate remortgage is like a variable rate mortgage, but it differs in that the lender offers you a discount on your interest rate. Thus, your payments will be reduced for a certain length of time, but your payments are still influenced by the fluctuations in interest rates. A discounted rate remortgage becomes a variable rate remortgage once the discounted period is over.

A variable rate remortgage makes it fairly difficult to predict what your monthly payments will be since the interest rate fluctuations will determine the amount you have to pay each month.

Benefits of Each Type of Mortgage

A fixed rate remortgage is good because the fixed rate protects you from any upward fluctuations of the interest rate. However, do not expect to be benefited if the interest rate goes down. This type of remortgage is apt for thrifty borrowers who plan loan payments carefully. Such borrowers want the security from interest rate fluctuations that a fixed rate remortgage guarantees.

A discounted rate remortgage is advantageous for those who appreciate lower initial payments, and for those who want to pay lower interest rates when the interest rate decreases. Bear in mind that when you possess this type of remortgage, your payments go up as interest rates go up.

A variable rate remortgage generally benefits people who want their payments to go down when interest rates fluctuate downwards, but are willing to pay more when interest rates go up. A variable rate remortgage borrower does not want to be tied into a fixed interest rate in the case that the base rate decreases.One thing you have to remember, regardless of which of the type of remortgages you choose, is that there will be fees for a new survey of your home to determine the value. In addition, there will be arrangement fees, broker fees, legal fees, etc. to deal with.

Types of Remortgage Borrowers

Just like there are different types of remortgage loans, there are also different types of borrowers (good and bad credit borrowers). A good credit borrower is someone who can guarantee that he can shoulder the payments for any of the three types of remortgages. Conservative lenders may limit their market to this type of borrower.

On the other hand, the more daring remortgage lenders may opt to issue any of the three types of remortgages to people with poor credit ratings or bad credit history. Bad credit remortgage lenders will know whether you have poor or negative credit because all lenders conduct a credit check on UK borrowers. They will be looking for evidence of defaults, IVAs, debts, bankruptcy, the credit history proper, mortgage arrears, defaults and CCJs. A negative credit rating could result from factors that are out of your control, such as a divorce, a severe illness, an accident that left you unable to work, and other such things. In such cases, the lender may be willing to accommodate your application and give you a bad credit remortgage. It is important that you provide all the information needed by the lender so that your remortgage application will be considered with care.

It is necessary to get remortgage advice before you choose a loan for your situation, advice such as that given here about the types of remortgages available. You should know that a remortgage is not final. You may switch to other types of remortgages if you decide that a different type of loan will be more financially advantageous. So get to know the types of remortgages in greater detail before you sign on the dotted line.

If you'd like help finding the best fixed rate remortgage, variable rate remortgage, discounted rate mortgage, or bad credit remortgage, take a moment to fill out our short form, and one of SimplyFinance's representatives will contact you and help you on your way to finding the best remortgage lender for you.


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