Home deals; Stay wise with our guide.

Time to switch to a fixed rate? With Greece''s future in the Eurozone hanging in the balance, financial markets are waiting for a decision, one way or another, to give them the stability they thrive on. Away from Europe, one of the next important issues to be resolved is for America to increase its debt ceiling to allow it to continue paying its liabilities. Assuming this goes well, and we don't have any further Eurozone issues, we might start 2012 on a more cheerful note, economically. If things do improve, you can be assured interest rates will start to creep up too. With this in mind, it might be time to start thinking about fixing your mortgage rate. Some of the better fixed-rate deals are below.

Two-year fixed rate The lowest fixed rates available at the moment are for two years. Leeds Building Society has an excellent rate of 1.99%, fixed until 31/12/2013, followed by the standard variable rate, currently 5.69%. This deal has a booking fee of pounds 199 and an arrangement fee of pounds 1,800. The maximum you can borrow is 75% of the value of the property and the maximum loan is pounds 500,000. The product is portable.

Three-year fixed rate If two years isn't quite long enough for you then Northern Rock has a fixed rate of 3.09% until 01/12/2014, followed by a variable rate that is currently 4.79%. It has an arrangement fee of pounds 995 and a booking fee of pounds 99. The penalties last for the same period as the fixed rate and are 3.5%. The maximum you can borrow is 70% of the value of the property and the maximum loan is pounds 1 million.

Five-year fixed rate If you are comfortable with the idea of a long-term fixed rate then there are some very competitive five-year deals around. NatWest has a fixed rate until 30/11/2016, with a rate of 3.59% and fees of pounds 999. The penalties last for the same time as the fixed rate and start at 5% of the loan amount and go down to 1%. The maximum you can borrow is 60% of the value of the property.

? There are thousands of mortgage deals available and they change frequently, so it makes sense to take independent advice about which deal is best for you.

This mortgage selection was compiled by chartered financial planner Tim Twiddy, of Atlantic Investors.

Freephone 0800 163659 or at www.atlanticinvestors.co.uk who ON Del Tufo, 9pm TELLY... Grand into a home.

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Title Annotation:	Features
Publication:	Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)
Date:	Nov 12, 2011
Words:	491
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