Mortgages can be scary.  A mortgage is typically the largest debt that you will ever have and is something that you are going to be paying each month for many years.  As such, even a small difference in mortgage rates can add up to HUGE savings in the long run.  It is worth your time to shop around for your mortgage.  A mortgage is a product, just like a car, meaning that prices differ from one place to another and you can negotiate the price and terms. 

Are you better off going to a mortgage broker?  A mortgage lender?  How do you find the best deal on a mortgage?  Below is a guide that will walk you though some of the things you can do when shopping for a mortgage.

Before he goes on, Mr. Thrifty is assuming that you know how much of a mortgage you can afford, what down payment you can afford and the type of a mortgage you want (e.g. ARM?  30-Fixed?).  If you don’t go to www.BankRate.com and check out some of their mortgage articles before you continue.