Most people who dream of buying their own house usually look to financing to help themselves own a home. But owning a home isn't as simple as shopping around for a house, applying for a loan then paying off the mortgage. Even as banks and lending institutions are aggressively attracting customers by offering lower interest rates, you should still give this enough thought before making a final decision.

It is best to also shop around for the different kinds of loans available. People buy homes for different reasons and you should evaluate your own as well as your needs and preferences to make sure you choose the right housing loan.

Low Income House Hunter

If you want to purchase a house but you don't qualify for a loan because you currently have low income, then a temporary buydown may be the right loan for you. A temporary buydown is ideal for people who are cash-strapped for the moment but expect to enjoy an increase in income in the near future.

The most popular types of temporary buydowns are the 3-2-1 buydown loan and the two-to-one buydown mortgage. In a 3-2-1 buydown, the interest rate increases by one point each year for the period of three years. After that, the rate becomes fixed throughout the life of the loan. The same is the case for two-to-one buydowns except you lower the interest rates for a period of two years.

When you apply for a buydown, you are going to be required to pay extra money in advance in exchange for the lower rate. The lending agency will then "allow" you to be eligible for the loan.

Move In, Move Out Buyer

You want to own a home but aren't entirely sure how long you'll be staying in a given area. Either your job requires you to be assigned to different cities, or you plan to later on sell your home. If this describes your current situation, then you are better off getting delayed adjustable rate mortgage (delayed ARM).

In delayed ARMs, borrowers pay fixed monthly payments for a longer period of time before the loan starts to adjust. For example, if you take out a 5-1 ARM then the interest rate on your loan stays the same for the next five years. The interest rate starts to adjust on year six and every year after that for the rest of the term. How much your interest changes will depend on market conditions.

Home, Now and Always

If you have no plans of moving or plan on staying in your home for the remainder of your life, you can go for a fixed-rate mortgage. Fixed-rate mortgages mean just that - fixed. Your interest rates and monthly payments remain the same throughout the life of the loan. If you can get a low interest, so much better because your payments don't increase even if market rates do.

You can either get a 30 year or 15 year fixed-rate mortgage. A 30 year mortgage will afford you lower monthly payments than a 15 year-fixed, but you end up paying for more, overall, on the former.