Saturday, May 14, 2011

A Sure Thing



While nobody can accurately predict what the future holds for mortgage interest rates, the fact remains that they are historically low. It is difficult to justify the risk in floating when the excellent rates currently available are a sure thing.

Timing is one of the most important factors in success. Unfortunately, knowing the perfect time to lock in a loan is impossible until after the fact. While analysts constantly try to predict the future, the bottom line is they continually fall short in terms of accuracy. Recent history is a testament to this. At the end of last year analysts overwhelming predicted low rates for the months ahead. The first quarter of this year saw rates generally increase. Fortunately there has been a recent reprieve but things still remain volatile. The movements over the past 5 months show the challenge of making predictions.

The good news is that the current low interest rates are here now. It is possible for rates to improve. However, if rates move higher, they are likely to spike fast and furiously with inflation fears looming. A cautious approach is necessary to protect against market volatility.