1. You can, and should, get preapproved for a mortgage before you go looking for a home.

Preapproval is easy, and can give you complete peace- of-mind when shopping for your home. Your local lend- ing institution can provide you with written preapprov- al for you at no cost and no obligation, and it can all be done quite easily over-the-phone. More than just a verbal approval from your lending institution, a written preapproval is as good as money in the bank. It entails a completed credit application, and a certificate which guarantees you a mortgage to the specified level when you find the home you’re looking for.

2. Know what monthly dollar amount you feelcomfortable committing to.

When you discuss mortgage preapproval with your lending institution, find out what level you qualify for, but also pre-assess for yourself what monthly dollar amount you feel comfortable committing to. Your situa- tion may give you a preapproval amount that is higher (or lower) than the amount of money you would want to pay out each month. By working back and forth with your lending institution to determine what this month- ly amount is, and what value of home this translates into at today’s rates, you won’t waste time looking at

homes that are not in your price range.

3. You should be thinking about your long term goals, and expected situation, to determine the type of mortgage that will best suit your needs.

There are a number of questions you should be ask- ing yourself before you commit to a certain type of mortgage. How long do you think you will own this home? What direction are interest rates going in, and how quickly? Is your income expected to change (up or down) in the near term, impacting how much money you can afford to pay to your mortgage? The answers to these and other questions will help you determine the most appropriate mortgage you should be seeking.

4. Make sure you understand what prepayment privileges and payment frequency options are available to you.

More frequent payments (for example weekly or bi- weekly) can literally shave years off your mortgage. Simply by structuring your payments so that they come out more frequently, will significantly lessen the amount of interest that you will be charged over the term. For the same reason, authorized prepayment of a certain percentage of your mortgage, oran increase in the amount you pay monthly, will have a major impact on the number of years you will have to pay and could shorten your payment term considerably These two payment options can cut years off your mortgage, and save you thousands of dollars in interest. However, not every mortgage has these prepayment privileges built in, so make sure you ask the proper questions.

5. Ask if your mortgage is both portable and/or assumable.

A portable mortgage, where available, is one that you can carry with you when you buy your next home and avoid paying any discharge penalties. This means that you will not have to go through the entire mortgage process again unless you are making a move up to a much more expensive home. An assumable mortgage is one that the buyer for your home can take over when you move to your next home. This can be a very pow erful tool at the negotiating table making it much easier and more desirable for a buyer to buy your home, and again saves you any discharge penalties.

6. You should seriously consider dealing with a

Mortgage Expert.

Consider dealing only with a professional who special izes in mortgages. Enlisting their services can make significant difference in the cost and effectiveness o the mortgage you obtain. For example they can mak the process faster thereby avoiding costly delays. Typi cally there is no cost or obligation to enquire.