Borrowers' rates are set to climb, so make the most of today's deals

Offers are unlikely to improve, so now is the time to secure a new mortgage

The only thing we can be certain of right now is that we have an uncertain financial future. But with the eurozone crisis and concerns that we could face a second credit crunch, do homeowners need to act now before it is too late?

Many aspects of the property and mortgage market have been encouraging in recent months, with Barclays relaunching into 90 per cent mortgages and Nationwide improving its availability of high loan to value (LTV) loans. "The story over the summer was one of improving mortgage rates and more competition in the market that was providing more opportunity for borrowers to make savings," says David Hollingworth from mortgage brokers London & Country.

Landlords have been rubbing their hands with glee over rising rents and lenders have been getting on board. The volume of buy-to-let mortgages has jumped by 16 per cent in the last quarter, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), totalling 34,500 in the three months to September and marking its highest level in three years. Nottingham Building Society currently offers a deal at 4.19 per cent, albeit with a hefty £1,299 fee, fixed until February 2014 for borrowers with a 25 per cent deposit. In one recent move in the buy-to-let market, Woolwich improved the maximum LTV it would offer to wannabe landlords to 75 per cent.

However, Mr Hollingworth says the trend for ever cheaper mortgage rates is one that is on the turn, and points to rate changes this week from Nationwide, Woolwich/Barclays, Skipton and ING. Although lenders have been seemingly more competitive, he reminds homeowners that the amount of lending in the market has not increased and could fall back a little depending on how the eurozone pans out.

"The continued problems in the eurozone have resulted in an increase in funding costs for lenders and that is feeding through to the mortgage products in the UK," says Mr Hollingworth. "Some may have come down a little but these tend to be the exception to prove the rule."

New CML statistics also show that the number of loans dipped in September. There were 48,200 loans taken out for house purchase in September (worth £7.1bn), down 2 per cent on August, although up 3 per cent compared with September 2010. For remortgaging, there were 34,200 (worth £4.3bn), representing a 1 per cent decline the month before, but a 25 per cent uplift on a year ago.

For anyone wanting to remortgage now, the experts say that this could be the ideal time to switch to a fix. Fixed-rate mortgages offer protection against future rises in interest rates; anyone looking for security should act now.

"Several lenders have increased their rates in recent days, often with little or no notice at all, and I expect this to continue," says Andrew Montlake from mortgage brokers Coreco. "With this in mind it seems that we have now passed the lowest point in the current interest rate cycle and it does seem sensible to look at locking into a rate now."

He argues that even if the situation begins to settle and more competition returns to the market, it is still highly unlikely that rates will come back down below the current levels.

"The potential upside of rates getting lower is a small one, while the downside of rates getting ever more expensive once more is much larger and there are many, who feel they have ridden their luck long enough," says Mr Montlake.

Even with no indication that we will see an upward movement in base rate soon, fixed rates still look appealing. Top deals include the 2.89 per cent fix (until November 2014) from Yorkshire BS at 75 per cent LTV with a £495 fee and for first time buyers (FTBs). Skipton is offering a 95 per cent LTV deal costing 5.99 per cent until January 2014 with a £195 fee, and HSBC has a fee-free 4.89 per cent loan at 90 per cent LTV, fixed until January 2017.

Helen Adams from FirstRung Now.com has concerns about the future for new homeowners. Deposit demands are still a huge hurdle but this week first timers may have had some good news in the shape of Clydesdale and Yorkshire offering attractively priced mortgages with as little as 5 per cent deposit, at a rate of 5.49 per cent fixed for three years, with a fee of just £599 (although this rises steeply to 6.12 per cent for 95 per cent LTV loans). However, Ms Adams predicts that things could soon turn sour.

"I foresee more hesitancy from lenders towards FTBs," she says. "The trend for parental help will continue. My advice: keep your head down, tighten your belt and save. You never know what's round the corner."

Expert View

David Hollingworth, London & Country

"The bottom line for borrowers at the moment is that they could see rates continue to rise, so if they are considering a switch it would make sense to make a move sooner rather than later. As funding becomes scarce and costs rise, it is inevitable that the current upward trend in mortgage rates will continue."