Homeowners are today missing out on some the lowest fixed mortgage rate deals available in the last twenty four years. On the 9th March 2009 the Bank of England first reduced the base rate to 0.5% where it has remained for the last 31 months and homeowners have become complacent about changing their mortgage arrangements as the mortgage rate has remained static. Homeowners have preferred to remain on the standard variable rate (SVR) rather than change to any other type of mortgage deal around. In the past the standard variable rate was known as the worst mortgage rate a borrower could be acquire as it was always more costly than any of the other mortgage rates available.

Many homeowners have chosen not to review their mortgages in the last 31 months and one in six homeowners with mortgages does not believe they needed to review their mortgages until the base rate starts to rise. Waiting until the base rate starts to rise is like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. We have never seen interest rates this low and it is now that homeowners should be seeking the best mortgage deal for their personal circumstances. Many homeowners have seen their monthly mortgage payments reduce considerably as they have come off previous mortgage deals. The extra money they are saving by remaining on the standard variable rate (SVR) has lessened the effects of the recession on their household income and expenditure. All householders have seen an increase in fuel and food costs and many employees have not had a pay rise for the last three or four years and homeowners don't want to pay more for a new mortgage arrangement

Currently the Best 5-year fixed mortgage rate for first-time buyer and remortgages is 4.39% from the Nationwide for a 70% loan-to-value or a 30% deposit plus lenders arrangement fees of £999, you can make over payments of £500 per month and early repayment penalties do apply. Furthermore if you are remortgaging then this great 5-year fixed mortgage rate deal comes with free valuation fees and legal fees which will save you thousands. Surely every serious homeowner who is worried about the future of their mortgage payments would want to tie themselves into a great mortgage deal that would provide them with 5 years of stability and the knowledge that they had a fixed affordable monthly mortgage payment

Homeowners are out of touch with the current mortgage market conditions and they have a belief that the Bank of England base rate will remain low for ever. It's similar to the belief that everybody had that property prices would just keep going up and then the boom time went bust in August 2007. The mortgage rates we currently have are unprecedented and there are winners and losers. The winners at the moment are the mortgage borrowers who were reported to have saved fifty one billion pounds whilst the savers had lost some forty three billion pounds. This discrepancy will need readjusting at sometime in the very near future without doubt. As inflation rises higher then the bank of England will want the mechanism of being able to increase interest rates to control the inflation. However homeowners still have the lowest mortgage rate dilemma and they will need to be sure that they are able to move quickly and secure another great rate before the rates increase.