Am I Better Off Working With A Mortgage Broker? 

by Greg Cryns

When it comes to real estate, there are many avenues you can take to get the best return on your investment – whether you’re in a buyer’s or seller’s market.  Mortgage brokers can be beneficial to buyers who want to make sure their dollars are wisely spent.

            A mortgage broker is like a middleman.  He helps negotiate on your behalf so that you get the best mortgage deal possible.  One of the worst things to discover is how low the seller would have gone – right after you’ve signed 

on the dotted line and become locked into a deal.

            The concept of mortgage brokers isn’t a new one.  But their profiles have risen over the last decade, when the market became increasingly unstable and sellers and buyers participated in a tug of war over properties.

            Some consumers will head straight to the bank for their mortgage instead of working with a mortgage broker, but that could be a big mistake.  A mortgage broker charges a fee for his services, but many times, you’ll find that the banking institution pays that fee for you.

            The service that a mortgage broker helps with is in helping you find a wider variety of lending sources, which ultimately gives you more options to choose from.  When there’s competition in the mix, you benefit from it financially.

            The best thing about working with a mortgage broker is that you don’t accumulate any out of pocket expenses up front.  The fee, if you wind up having to pay it yourself, is only generated once the loan is created. 

            Your mortgage broker is working for free until he or she gets you the deal you’ve been seeking. Mortgage brokers are a boon for those whose financial history is less than polished.

            Because they have access to the information, they can present you without of state lending possibilities or specialty financers who can help you bypass a conventional loan that you might not qualify for.

            How do you find a good mortgage broker to work with?  Word of mouth is a good place to start.  Referrals from real estate agents can help you find the right person for the job. 

You can even work with more than one mortgage broker at a time, since you’re basically letting them compete to find you the best deal.  Some loans are available strictly to mortgage brokers, and aren’t advertised to the general public, so it pays to see what they can deliver!

Greg Cryns is the owner of Flat Fee Real Estate Guide - http://www.flatfeerealestateguide.com