Shop Around and Compare Mortgage Rates

When you are ready to buy a home it is just as important to shop around for the best mortgage loan as it is to shop around for the best house. The thing to do is to compare mortgage rates from several banks and other lending institutions. You can compare mortgage rates at home on your computer, by going online and accessing a mortgage calculator and type in the data that the calculator software asks for. By doing much of your homework before going to a lending institution to sign the dotted line, you can shop around to compare mortgage rates that the lending companies are offering.

As part of your shopping to compare mortgage rates you should also compare banks, credit unions and mortgage brokers. By comparing at home you can narrow down your search for a lender with the best interest rate. You may be able to negotiate better terms on your own, or if you don’t feel you can find a better interest rate on your own you can use a mortgage broker. A mortgage broker, being the middle-man, brings lender and borrower together. The broker may be able to find you a better deal than you could negotiate on your own.

When you are ready to take out a mortgage loan you need to put up a minimum of 20 percent of the value of the house for a down payment. The more money you can put down the lower the interest rate you will have to pay. Because lending companies offer varying rates of interest, it is to your advantage to compare mortgage rates of each lender you are considering. Check the lenders out; compare one lender with another and find out what your rights are as a borrower, and what the lender’s rules and regulations are. What kinds of fees do they charge up front to process your loan? You need to compare mortgage rates, but you also need to compare the policies and procedures of each lender, because they can vary from one to another. Find out what all the fees the lender charges before you take out a mortgage. Find out what APR (Annual Percentage Rate) you will be paying. The APR is a collection of fees that will be added onto the rate of interest you pay every year.

In short, besides shopping around to compare mortgage rates, you need to compare what you will be paying the lender for doing business with you. The fees to consider are the closing costs, broker fees and underwriting fees. Some fees you may have to pay when applying for the mortgage and the other fees will be paid when you close the deal. It is a good idea to get preapproved for a loan when shopping around to compare mortgage rates; let the lenders compete for your business. The lenders will try to undercut each other by offering you’re their lowest interest rate. By shopping around you can negotiate the best possible interest rate and save lots of money over the term of your mortgage loan.