Before you begin looking at homes, you will want to get prequalified by a bank to determine what price range of homes you should be looking at. The bank will verify your income and debt, run your credit report, and issue a Prequalification Letter that you will use when making an offer on a property. This letter will help make your offer more attractive to the seller. There are a number of local lenders as well as online companies that offer mortgages. There are several advantages to working with local lenders as you have a name and a face to work with and someplace local to drop off and pick up paperwork. We encourage you to shop around for your loan, speak with more than one bank, and select the bank you are most comfortable with.