This way you do not waste time looking for houses that are out of your mortgage qualification price range. Besides being a waste of time, there is nothing more frustrating or heart breaking than to find the perfect home, only to find out that the asking price on it is way above the amount the mortgage company will loan to you. Additionally, if you find out that you are not financially strong enough to qualify for a mortgage yet, then the mortgage company can make some financial recommendations so you can work towards being able to qualify for a home mortgage. Of course, the rate changes if loan is delayed for any reason. Now one can do business with mortgage companies that publish their rates on the web every day. So before applying, track rates from several different mortgage companies. Check to see if the mortgage company's pricing strategy is consistent. Some mortgage companies price aggressively one week and then pull out of the market the next. When you meet with the mortgage Company you should have some information with you. The initial meeting with the mortgage company will usually begin with an interview where the mortgage lender will ask you some questions and discuss your loan. Be sure to have some documentation with you to verify income and debt. Those questions will give the mortgage company agent a general idea if you would qualify for a mortgage and in what range. However, to pre-qualify for a mortgage and be sure of the amount, you will have to fill out a mortgage application for the mortgage company. If you have gone to that meeting prepared, it is possible that you can fill out your mortgage application completely at that time. Either way, by the end of the meeting you have a general idea of the fact that you qualify for a mortgage and around how much you will qualify for. After the application is reviewed you should have definite answers within days.
In today's low interest economy; there are lots of great deals available from mortgage companies. There are several ways to get the best deal from a mortgage company. Know what you're paying, and know what you're getting. You need to be familiar with fees charged by your mortgage company and, if you use one, by your mortgage broker. Ask them to calculate the amount of money you're actually paying back to them; add that to their fees and subtract your new home's value to find out how much your mortgage is really costing you. Also, you should know exactly what you want in a new home, and how much you can realistically afford to spend. Your real estate agent and your mortgage company can help you figure these things out. Don't be afraid to educate yourself. The more you know about mortgages and mortgage companies, the better your mortgage will serve you. Unless you have money to pay cash for a new house, you are almost certainly going to deal with a mortgage company when you buy a new home.