Now, take total of your debt payments and divide it by your income and you will have your debt to income ratio. Most lenders will want to see no higher than a 36 percent debt to income ratio, although there are a few exceptions.

If you find that your debt to income ratio is so high that you may not be able to quality for a mortgage, you should try to pay down some of it before applying for your loan. This will not only better your chances for a mortgage loan, but it will also ensure that you quality for one with better interest rates and terms.

It is reasonable to expect to pay up to five points for a mortgage loan, but any higher and you should be wary. There are always exceptions to this, so use your best judgment and compare companies.

Get Multiple Offers

Mortgage lenders can vary as much as 5% in their interest rates, so you should compare financing packages. The internet has made comparison shopping easy. You can get bids from multiple lenders and read over their offers from comfort of your home.

Read The Fine Print

Once you get an offer from a mortgage lender, make sure you read fine print. Interest rates are easy to compare, but you should also look over fees that are involved which can add up to thousands of dollars. Also, be sure to understand any fees for late or missed payments.