Due diligence

Due diligence is the term used to refer to the research you should do before committing yourself to any financial or contractual deal, especially if you don't know the other party to the deal personally. The term is commonly understood to mean that you check out the facts that you know or can obtain access to, in order to verify that the person or entity is who they say they are. When you are selecting a broker to work with in completing a home loan refinance, you should review the business reputation, credentials, specialties and any needed licenses or registration information. You should never accept this type of claim at face value.

What is the reputation?

A loan broker, whether for a new loan or a refinance will have had other borrowers work through him or her in order to obtain a loan unless the broker is completely inexperienced. When you are selecting a home loan refinance broker, you should determine the reputation of both the broker and the company for which he or she works. You can check for information at the Better Business Bureau or similar registry locations, both online and via telephone or mail service.

What type of loan broker?

There are several types of loan brokers who can be contacted when you get ready to do a home loan refinance so you will want to make sure that you choose the type of loan broker that will do the best job for you. For example, there are loan brokers that work with commercial loans, or residential loans. Sometimes loan brokers will only work with developers for large development projects. A loan broker can work mainly with Veteran's Administration loans or HUD project loans. Make sure you get the type of broker that knows the niche that you will be using.

Specialty loan brokers

In addition to loan brokers focusing on certain types of loans, the broker may also deal with certain specialties. For example if you have poor credit, a home loan refinance with a regular lender may not agree to underwrite the loan. A manufactured housing loan specialist is sometimes a little harder to find. There may be fewer companies to deal with when you need a specialty loan. Rural loans are another example. Some large brokers won't agree to lend in a rural area, simply because the broker doesn't understand the rural market.

What are the terms?

When you are selecting the correct broker for your home loan refinance, you will want to look at the loan preparation charges that the broker assesses. There can be a great deal of variance between two brokers doing the same type of loan, so be sure that you review and understand all the charges that will be required of you at the time of closing. It can be a very unpleasant surprise if you don't realize that you are being charged a series of loan origination fees that significantly reduces the amount of cash that you were planning on receiving at closing.