Allan Smith asked:


Agricultural mortgage rates are very similar to a regular bank rate, yet they have their own distinct characteristics. An agricultural mortgage rate is different from a consumer mortgage rate with its flexible payment option, its tenure period and other such terms and conditions.

The main difference lies in certain options offered by the mortgage lenders of agricultural mortgages, such as – the low interest rates, the flexible repayment options like interest only payments, transferable loans (especially from one generation to another), periodic payment choice etc. There are specialized mortgage brokers and mortgage companies that offer this wide range of options customized to your personal needs.

An agricultural mortgage not only offers capital for farm development or farm purchase, but it also covers other types of mortgages to purchase or develop rural properties such as pasture, catteries, gardens, nurseries etc. Many such properties fall under agricultural mortgages with flexible rural mortgage rates.

A rural mortgage rate depends on various elements like the prevailing market condition and market rate, the type of interest rate, the type of mortgage, the tenure period, the principal amount, the borrower’s credit record and income, the equity value of the mortgaged property, the terms set by the mortgage lender and the mortgage broker etc. The rate of an agricultural mortgage falls under two basic categories -



Fixed agricultural mortgage rates: These are the interest rates, which remain same throughout the tenure period of the loan. This means you have to pay the monthly installments with a fixed interest rate. This type of rate though sometimes can be a bit high, but will not vary through the tenure of your loan. Here you can be certain of the amount of money you need each month to pay off your agricultural loan. Thus your expenditure remains under the budget.

If you are uncertain about your monthly income, then it is best to opt for this type of agricultural mortgage rates. As you are agreeing on the manageable interest rate at the beginning of the loan program, there will be little chance of high interest rate that you cannot pay.

Variable agricultural mortgage rates: These are the interest rates, which vary from time to time according to the changing market condition. This means your monthly payment amount will also alter according to the interest rates. If the market mortgage rates are high, then your monthly interest rate will also be high; and when the market rate falls your monthly payment also will decrease. This type of loan thus carries a certain amount of risk with itself, as a sudden high market rate can always call for a high monthly payment rate. Those with high income rate can opt for this type of loan, as they are capable enough to deal with sudden payment rate hike.



However to get the low mortgage rates you can opt for refinancing mortgage option. The trick is to opt for variable mortgage rate when the prevailing market mortgage rate is low, and then refinance the mortgage to fixed mortgage rate whenever the market rate rises high. If the fixed rate becomes higher than the market mortgage rate, then it will be best to refinance mortgage to variable agricultural mortgage rates or a lower fixed rate.