Mistakes made when getting a home loan mortgage can be very costly, adding up to several thousand dollars if you're not careful. So clearly then, it's important to know what the most common costly mistakes are when applying for a home mortgage loan, and then do your best to avoid them. Here are the top five deadliest mistakes that mortgage buyers often make:

1. Very often consumers really don't know exactly how much of their own money they will need to put in to get the mortgage they want. There are usually two parts of a home loan where you will need to put some of your own money into the deal. These are the down payment and closing costs. Of course, the more you can put down, the better terms and rates you'll often get, but putting too much of your own money into the deal can leave you strapped for cash and unable to care for any emergencies that may arise. On closing costs, it's a good practice to get a written estimate from your lender in advance so that you have a good idea of what your costs will be before you get to that part of the process. You don't want to get to the very end of the deal and have a major unpleasant surprise to have to deal with.

2. Very often many of the problems that consumers have with getting a home mortgage loan is due to not having much understanding of the process itself. So be sure that the mortgage lender you work with is willing and able to take as much time as is necessary to help you understand each part of the process and explain any terms that you don't understand.

3. A very common mistake that home buyers make is making a major purchase of some consumer item such as a car just before trying to qualify for their home mortgage. Mortgage lenders use a formula called the debt to income ratio to try to assess the home buyer's ability to pay for a particular mortgage in advance, and any consumer debt that you add simply reduces the amount of house that you can buy under their guidelines. So delay any major consumer purchases, especially those made on installment payments until after the mortgage papers are signed if possible.

4. Another mortgage mistake that relates to your credit history is shopping for a mortgage loan in too many places at once. Although it's a great idea to shop around for different rates and terms, you must realize that every time a company pulls your credit history it will adversely affect your credit score and make it harder for you to get the best terms and rates possible. By using a quality mortgage broker, this problem can be significantly reduced.

5. Another credit mistake that can have a direct impact on your mortgage loan is the overuse of credit cards. They are very easy to use but if the credit card balances are left at high levels it can definitely affect your ability to get the best terms and rates on your mortgage loan. So try to keep your credit card debt as low as possible in order to get the best mortgage.

Getting a mortgage loan can be stressful and intimidating, but by avoiding the mistakes listed above you should be able to get a home loan mortgage with low interest rates and favorable terms.

Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including real estate. You can find out about low interest mortgage rates and compare mortage rates online and more by visiting our Real Estate website.