Housing prices are becoming more attractive in many markets, making the prospect of investing in a house suddenly a very real and appealing one for most people. However, it hurts when a poor credit score can get in the way of the dream of owning a home. Having poor credit during tough economic times is like adding salt to a wound, especially if you are trying to get into (or get back into) the housing market.

Finding a poor credit mortgage lender is not impossible, however. You just need to do your homework. Here are 5 tips for finding mortgage lender who will extend you a loan, even if you have poor credit:

1. Develop a candidate list:

Start by going online and searching the many available mortgage lender sites. You will find no shortage of websites that will gladly connect you with multiple potential lenders, including providing a comparison of each. Of course, the catch is that you have to carefully track all of the options with which you are faced when considering each one. Suggestion: use a spreadsheet program (or old-fashioned paper and paper) and write down all of the viable lender candidates you find. Skip any that you are sure you will not end up choosing, for whatever reason.

2. Compile a list of factors against which to rate each candidate:

As you review the details of each mortgage lender, you will start to get a sense for what factors make each differ from the next. Start taking notes on these factors so that you can create a true apples-to-apples comparison of the different options available to you. Examples of such factors include: interest rate, length of time company has been in business, states in which they operate, availability of customer testimonials, underwriting companies with which they are affiliated, and so on.

3. Conduct your ratings:

Now that you have compiled a list of evaluation factors, go back to your candidate list and make sure that you have the relevant information you need about each candidate on your list. Make sure you do not have any gaps in your research. Note: if you are not able to find the information you need about a given company, delete or cross the company off of your list. Companies that do not make the information you need readily accessible may have something to hide, or they may not have been in business long enough to want to make their information public.

4. Read the fine print:

Narrow your candidate list down to at most 2-3 candidates. Now, it is time to contact them directly and ask them for details about their mortgage loan terms and conditions. Ask for a sample mortgage agreement. And, read the fine print! Make sure that your candidate lenders are on the level. Take particular note if the terms and conditions for one of the lenders looks considerably different than those of the others. This could be a sign that something is not right. When in doubt, ask them questions to clear up any doubts you have.

5. Work to improve your credit:

It never hurts to improve your credit score. In fact, when faced with the prospect of something as large and important as a mortgage loan, your credit score can mean the different between a very reasonable interest rate and a very high one. Even a 50-point increase in your credit score can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a 30-year mortgage loan. Fortunately, there are tried-and-true ways to improve your credit score that have been used by thousands of other people with amazing results. If one of your goals this year is to improve your credit score, consider it a very worthy (and very realistic) objective.

Find a poor credit home mortgage lender is not easy, but if you take a little bit of extra time to research what is available to you, the result will be a much better set of options. Along the way, take the time to do what it takes to improve your credit score - a move that can save you thousands of dollars over the next few years alone.