What’s next for Brexit and mortgages? Will mortgages become more expensive, and should you remortgage now?
What’s going to happen now with Brexit and mortgages, since the EU has agreed to grant Britain a three-month extension? How does this decision affect potential and current home owners, up to January and beyond? Will we see much of a fluctuation in the Bank of England’s base interest rate, and with it, cheaper or more expensive mortgages?
Martijn Van Der Heijden, Chief Strategy Officer at online mortgage brokerage Habito, comments on the implications of the Bank of England’s decision last month not to raise interest rates:
‘Interest rates remain relatively low which will be welcome news for those looking to get a good deal on their mortgage. This “wait and see” approach from the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) is something we also see reflected in our own data with a surge in buyers choosing fixed deals for five years or more as they try to “Brexit-proof” their mortgage and lock in the same rate until 2024 and beyond.’
Basically, whether you are first-time buyer or remortgaging, now is the time to lock in a good fixed rate mortgage deal – if you don’t mind losing out somewhat in case the interest rates fall even lower than the current level. Why might that happen? It all depends on how the final Brexit deal is negotiated, and how smoothly it is executed. In the still possible event of Britain not securing a deal, the pound is likely to fall, and inflation will rise, which could lead the Bank to slash the interest rates even further. If this happens, and you are on a variable rate mortgage, you could see your repayments fall.
On the other hand, in the event of an orderly Brexit and a strengthening economy, interest rates could rise, which would be good news for your savings and wages, but not so good news for your variable rate mortgage repayments. A fixed rate deal would protect you from any significant interest rate spike, at least for a few years.
Which scenario is more likely? The truth is, nobody knows. We would say, though, that taking out a variable rate mortgage might not be worth the gamble under current uncertain circumstances – you could win a little, or lose big, so a good fixed rate deal will at least allow you to relax a little, for a while.
BY ANNA COTTRELL
Source: Real Homes