You may have been looking for a new mortgage, one that can see you through the tough times we are all facing, and you may have discovered flexible mortgage deals. But how do they exactly work? How do flexible mortgage rates move round from month to month? Surely a mortgage is a loan, and a loan is anything but flexible, isn't it? Well not when it comes to modern mortgages. Lenders realised that mortgages have a lot more potential than simply a standard rate and a standard repayment; they realised that flexible mortgage rates can help their borrowers and ultimately make the mortgage more successful.
Simply, flexible mortgage rates work by adding more money into the mortgage, or taking more money out of the mortgage. If you have a large mortgage, it is more expensive than a small home loan.
A flexible deal works on that premise, but it allows you to change the size of your mortgage from month to month, working alongside your needs by creating flexible mortgage rates.
So if you would like your flexible mortgage rates to be less, you simply offset more money against your loan. You can do this by overpaying, or by linking one or more bank accounts to the mortgage - the more you have in a given bank account, the more that is offset against the mortgage, and the less the flexible mortgage rates are that particular month.
Then, obviously, if you need more money, you can take it from your flexible mortgage and your flexible mortgage rates go up. This can be done by underpaying, by taking a payment holiday or even taking some of the equity out of your home.
Of course, none of these choices should be taken lightly, and an adviser should always give you the green light before you increase your mortgage, but the most important thing is that the option is there, thanks to flexible mortgage rates.
The best thing about flexible mortgage rates is that you can work them to your advantage - when times are good, and you have extra money to spend, you can invest it against your mortgage and lower the flexible mortgage rates. But the money is always reachable afterwards, so if in a few months down the line you need that money back, you can get hold of it without a problem. Because the mortgage is flexible - it does what you tell it.
There are risks to flexible mortgage rates. If you keep taking money from your offset deal, you will have a much heftier rate. You may also incur fines and even blot your credit score with a few black marks. And you will be condemning yourself to a longer, possibly more difficult mortgage. But then if you keep saving, keep spending wisely and keep an eye on your mortgage you will find that the flexible mortgage rates will fall exponentially, month after month. It's all how you handle your mortgage, and it's all about the advice you get. So get some good advice right away and see if you could benefit from flexible mortgage rates.
