Don't apologise Lou, these things are important for all of us not yet lucky enough to win Big Wednesday!!!
When you're bringing over money to buy a house, even a small fluctuation in the exchange rates can save - or cost- you several hundred, if not thousands of dollars.
If you have the money to fund it, you could set up a regular transfer where you arrange to bring across a fixed sum every month for up to 12 months in advance. When you sign the contract, the foreign exchange broker buys the foreign money and agrees to sell it to you in fixed installments at the exchange rate on the day you do the deal. There is always an element of risk when you fix a price in advance. It's a bit like fixed rate mortgages. You save if interest rates go up, but lose if they go down.
I watch the markets like a hawk and try to pick when I bring money across. The rate moves about quite a bit. Last week, for example, it ranged from $2.45 and $2.55 against the Pound. If only I'd taken that fixed deal when the rate soared to $3.00 last September...........
