When shopping for a home mortgage loan, it is crucial to make sure that you compare mortgage loan offers to see if you are getting the best deal. But for many home buyers, comparing mortgage loans is not an easy task. Below are some easy steps so you can do to compare several different home loan offers and make sure you are getting the best conceivable home loan.

Verify that your loan consultant has a National Mortgage Licensing System Number

The first step you will need to do is make sure that you are working with a licensed mortgage consultant. Effective in 2010, both mortgage bankers and home loan brokers have to be licensed. Each loan officer must have a license number that is part of the National Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS). Each loan officer must display their NMLS number on any form of marketing materials, website, and any other advertisements. You should always ask a loan originator if they have a NMLS number. Finally, loan officers can only originate loans in states they have a license in. For example, if I have a mortgage license in Texas, then I can only originate Texas home loans.

Compare Apples to Apples

The hardest thing to do when comparing a home mortgage loan is trying to compare mortgage offers from all the different lenders. The reason for this is that many lenders have different closing cost and offer different rates, but if you understand how to ask the right questions, this process can be simpler.

First, do not ask the question, “What is the best rate you can give me?” This question is open ended and closing cost plays a major factor in the rate. The best rate a company can offer you will have the highest closing cost. When trying to compare offers from other mortgage lenders, this can be tricky. Instead, you should ask the question, “What is the lender closing cost associated with a 30-year FIXED rate home mortgage at X%?”

This question is direct and will make choosing a mortgage lender much easier!

Every lender can tell you what the lender closing cost will be at a particular rate. For example, Lender A charges $2100 in lender cost for a rate of X% and Company B will charge $2500 in lender closing cost for the same rate. When comparing these numbers, it is easy to see that the Company A is offering the best deal!

When comparing closing cost, only compare the LENDER closing cost. Most mortgage companies will estimate 3rd party charges like title company fees or attorney fees and prepaid items like property taxes and home owners insurance. These fees are estimated and are charged by other companies other than the lender . Let’s use the same mortgage companies in the example above and say that Company A estimated prepaid and 3rd party fees at $3500. Company B estimated these fees at $2500. When you add their home loan lender fees to the closing cost estimate, Company A is at $5600 and Company B is at $5000. It looks like Company B is offering the best deal , but since these are only estimates, Company A is still offering the best deal since they have $400 less in LENDER fees. Think of LENDER fees as the charge for the interest rate. These are also the fees that the lender has control over!

Finally, when comparing home loans, compare like rate offers meaning that if you are getting a quote for a 30-year loan at 4.75%, make sure that all offers you are comparing have the same rate. Also, make sure you are comparing the rate with the same home loan program. For example, compare FHA mortgage rates with other FHA home loan rates. You do not want to compare a FHA home loan with a Conventional home loan since these are two different types of mortgage programs.

Hopefully this will help when shopping for a home loan.

David White is a Mortgage Officer specializing in Texas Home Loans. David has over 10 years experience in the mortgage industry and can assist you with finding the right Home Loan.