What are current local mortgage interest rates for 15-year and 30-year fixed rate mortgages, and for 1-, 3- and 5-year adjustable rate mortgages?

This is easy when working with Kelly Gavin. She will personally recommend a Loan Officer that fits your needs. How much of a mortgage can you qualify for? The loan amount plus your down payment tells you how much house you can afford. Try this mortgage calculator that will give you an idea of what you can qualify for right now.

What are your priorities for your next home? How important are public transportation, community facilities, on-street parking, lot size, privacy? How many bedrooms and baths will you need? Will you need a space for a home office? How important are quality neighborhood schools? Chances are you can answer a couple of these questions on your own, but you may need some assistance with the others. If you do, please call or e-mail me. I'll can make sure you have the preliminary house-hunting information you need.

Get pre-approved for a loan before you start looking for a house so you know how much you can afford to pay. Being pre-approved will make you much more desirable to a seller when making an offer on a home.

If you have areas in mind, spend time in that area to really get comfortable with it. Try visiting shops, taking long walks, driving in rush hour to see what it will be like. Be sure to visit the area(s) in the daytime as well as the evening. For neighborhood, statistical, and demographical information on Minneapolis, visit this site. For St. Paul, vsit this site.

Find out why you should use a Realtor when buying a home.