The quest is on! Youre in the market for a new home loan, a refinance, or a consolidation and you absolutely insist on finding the lowest rate possible! So what better place to do your research, then here on the internet, late at night, with your coffee in hand, and your family fast to sleep!

Wed like to help you on your quest, so here are 3 free tips that we think will speed up your journey, and move you to success:

1. Benchmarks

2. Comparisons

3. Apples and Oranges

1. Benchmarks:

You have to start somewhere. Define low? Lets not lick our index fingers, and poke them in the wind to see what direction the storm is heading. If you want the lowest rate possible, you need to know what the market is doing right now, where its been historically, and what it might be doing over the short term long-haul (say over the next 3 to 6 months.)

a) Fortunately for you, there are TONS of resources available on the internet to do easy market research. Our website provides a Rate-Watch, for example, updated throughout the day, complete with graphs, charts, and specs on fixed rates, ARMS, Jumbos, and everything in between. But we arent the only site out there that provides free resources. Just go to your favorite search engine, and youll find a gazillion sites that would love to give you free market information.

b) What I suggest you do is primarily focus on the 30 year fixed rate, and find a graph demonstrating the TREND over the last 6 to 12 months. A picture is worth a thousand words. Also, check out the current fixed rate, and maybe even poke your eye at the APR for an adjustable rate mortgage, and perhaps check out two or three different resources online. Most of them should be extremely similar. This will encourage your confidence in your own growing knowledge about whats going on out there.

c) Whats the news got to say about it? Our site provides a free Financial News watch for mortgages, auto loans, and breaking business stories, updated throughout the day. Its no secret, of course, that news is abundant on the internet, and we arent the only free resource to provide this information. Go wherever you desire, but read an article or two, even if its just the first few paragraphs. Whats going on with the rates? What are the Feds doing? Any pundits out there talking about how things look, and what may be happening with interest rates? I swear, if you spend 5 minutes doing this, youll be as informed as the best of them, in terms of having a gestalt view on rates. You will know, with a high level of certainty, what low means, in the current world of mortgages and loans.

So take 20 minutes, and derive some benchmarks for yourself. Then, and only then, will you be in a position to gauge what the lowest possible rate truly is, and fully prepared to move forward with your important shopping trip.

2. Comparisons:

Every loan is different. Every lender is unique. Every borrower has his/her own, special, unique set of circumstances. In addition, there are thousands and thousands and thousands of lenders. The information is out there, but what you need is to focus on efficiency.

a) So the best way to sift through the deluge of thousands of lenders, with rates changing daily, and terms that may or may not be posted for all to see, is to use one of the many online services that provide this technology to you (for free.)

b) I wont go into naming my favorites, or listing recommendations, or pointing out the ones that are the oldest, or the newest, or the fastest. Thats not the point of this article, and I believe in your ability to make good choices. What I will say, is that I believe in these services.

c) By providing very simple, brief, and concise information on a short form application, you will almost instantly be provided with 3 to 4 loan offers that match your needs and circumstances, from the thousands of lenders, rates, and offers that are collated and organized in the databases of these various loan search providers. I give that an A for efficiency, allowing you to spend your hard-earned time and resources on other more productive things.

d) Once provided with these loan offers, the process naturally, is to compare them. Compare them to the market. Compare them to each other. Compare them to different kinds of lending institutions. Compare their terms. Compare their locations. Compare their histories. And of course, compare their rates, and points, and Origination Fees, and everything else in between. Compare, Compare, Compare.

3. Apples and Oranges:

This may be a counterproductive question, given the nature of this article, but are you absolutely sure that RATE is all youre concerned about? Is getting the LOWEST rate, truly the most important thing to consider, when diving into something as important, as a new mortgage?

a) Sometimes, its nice to do business with your local bank. Theyre right around the corner, they know you by name, and maybe you even get a Christmas card and sometimes, even a box of chocolate. They may charge a little more in rate, or their terms might be slightly less competitive, but usually, theyll be up front about that, and what theyre selling isnt the bottom-line so much, as the security of knowing who they are, and what kind of personable relationship you can count on over the next 30 years.

b) Sometimes, its nice to take advantage of your local credit union. Maybe you are a government employee, or you work for the electric company, or your business participates in a local, non-profit credit union. Credit Union customers tend to be loyal, and almost religiously in favor of going the route of the credit union for all financial needs. Its a nice idea, that you own a part of the bank, and that you are borrowing from yourself, in a matter of speaking. So, perhaps the credit union can offer you competitive rates, but more importantly, this is always a good way to go if youre seeking an alternative beyond private lending institutions.

c) Sometimes, its nice to borrow from the Big Mammas out there. Theres nothing like convenience. And if youre into doing everything right out of your neighborhood grocery-store, then you should look into this as well. Rate isnt everything. Convenience matters. Look, if you live a busy California lifestyle, then perhaps its more important to incorporate ease of doing business into your decision making process.

The point Im trying to make, is that rate really isnt everything, but it most certainly matters. So, Im not persuading you against getting the lowest possible rate available, but I am encouraging you to do your homework, and check out all options before making a final decision.

Weve enjoyed providing this information to you, and we wish you the best of luck in your pursuits. Remember to always seek out good advice from those you trust, and never turn your back on your own common sense.

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