Buying a home can be an exciting and somewhat stressful experience. When shopping for your new home, keep in mind that one of the most important aspects of home ownership is often neglected, finding the right mortgage.

Your mortgage is the backbone of the entire purchase, but without doing proper research, you might not be getting the best deal you can. Before you begin the home search process, consider the following ways to increase your chances of a speedy, stress-free home buying experience.

1. Get Pre-qualified Before You Start Home Hunting

Getting pre-qualified means you will better understand how much home you can afford and which mortgage program(s) best fits your needs. By giving yourself options, you’ll be able to find a lender you’re comfortable working with and a mortgage you’ll be able to afford. Once you’ve done this, you can begin your home search without worry. You will also save yourself time as shopping for homes that you can’t afford only takes up time you could be spending finding the right home you can afford.

2. Know Your Personal Finances

Knowing your financial situation prior to speaking with a lender can help speed up the process when you do seek financing to buy a home. Budgeting for your current expenses and using a mortgage calculator can help predict what you’d pay with a mortgage. From there you can make a choice about how much you feel comfortable borrowing. A secure, steady working situation will also help make you more appealing to lenders since you’ll be able to prove stable income.

With a little bit of preparation before you speak with a lender, your lender can help you make an informed decision about how much house can afford to purchase and which loan program is the best fit for your needs.

 3. Understand All the Costs Involved With A New Mortgage

When you pick a financial institution to work with, you will submitting your information, checking your credit, and being given a mortgage quote.  While your monthly payment is a vital part of your mortgage, you’ll also be responsible for paying interest, insurance and lender fees, which your lender will help you understand. Many borrowers forget about these extra fees and instead of consulting with a mortgage professional, use a mortgage calculator as their guide in how much they will have to pay for a given loan size without taking these extras fees into consideration.