Low interest rates, coupled with increased competition in
UK mortgage market over recent years means that there has never been a better time to review your existing mortgage arrangements.To put it simply, there is a good chance you could save money by remortgaging.
What is a remortgage?
Remortgaging means switching to a different mortgage deal. This could be with your existing mortgage lender, but more often than not it will be with a different bank or building society.
In times gone by, many people never bothered to remortgage, but it looks like that situation has begun to change in
past couple of years.
According to
Council of Mortgage Lenders, in January 2003 (for
first time ever) remortgages accounted for more than 50% of
total monies advanced by mortgage lenders.
Save money
One of
most common reasons for remortgaging is to reduce costs. By switching to a lower interest rate you can either benefit from lower monthly repayments, or keep
monthly repayments
same, thus repaying
loan quicker and reducing
overall term of
mortgage.
Raising equity
Another reason to remortgage is in order to raise additional cash.
Due to
rapid rise in UK property values over
past few years, many people now have mortgages which are well below their home's current value. The difference between
property value and
mortgage debt is known as equity. The majority of mortgage lenders will allow you to increase
size of
mortgage in order to tap into some of this equity. The cash raised can be used for a variety of purposes, such as home improvements, holidays, a new car, or
consolidation of existing debts.