Tell us a little about your loan needs and the home you want to buy or refinance.
Based on your personalized answers, you can find a national or local mortgage lender who can help with your loan needs. You can then choose a mortgage lender that offers the best terms for you.
A lender will reach out soon to help you find the right loan for you, no obligation.
Get startedWhen financing or refinancing a house, you will eventually make a transaction with a mortgage lender. A mortgage lender is the entity that directly lends you the money you need to purchase a home. A mortgage broker is an entity who works as a middleman between you and the lender. The mortgage broker may work with multiple lenders and have access to different loan products than a mortgage lender might. The broker can help you find the best rate and terms for your prospective mortgage.
Whether you decide to work with a mortgage lender or mortgage broker, make sure you understand the loan terms and fees that both a mortgage lender or mortgage broker charges to determine the best loan option for you.
The best lender for you will provide the type of loan you're looking for, whether purchase loan, refinance loan or HELOC, and they'll offer competitive rates to save you the most money possible.
Strengthen your financial profile before contacting a mortgage lender. Monitor your credit score and improve it, if necessary. Maintain employment and income while saving for your down payment. Calculate your affordability to understand a loan amount within your budget. Lastly, check your readiness to acquire a home loan by getting pre-approved. The lender who pre-approves you does not need to be the lender you work with to fund your home loan.
Improve the terms of your mortgage by shopping and comparing several lenders, local and national. Use our tool to find mortgage lender options. Simply enter the zip code of the area you're interested in buying a property, or the address of your home to find lenders for a second mortgage or refinance loan. Consider reaching out to at least three mortgage lenders before settling with one.
Before working with a lender, read online lender reviews on Zillow's Mortgage Lender Directory. Search for the lenders on the web and contact their references.
After connecting with your prospective mortgage lenders, understanding their business style and reputation, it's time to focus on the numbers. Apply for a mortgage with your front-running mortgage lenders to receive an official Loan Estimate. Compare Loan Estimates from each lender to evaluate the best mortgage rates or refinance rates. Evaluate the total closing costs from each mortgage lender and contrast credits, insurance and total interest charged over the life of each loan. Read the fine print. Check for prepayment penalties or other requirements that may not suit your circumstances. Choose the best mortgage lender for you by comparing rates, terms, experience and professional etiquette.
Find retail and consumer direct mortgage lenders on Zillow's mortgage marketplace. Instead of scrubbing lender profiles for their business models, use Zillow to discover lenders. You can then find a lender who can provide a loan for your customized needs.
Most lenders are categorized based on the way they acquire or fund mortgages, and how they handle them after closing.
Here is a breakdown of mortgage lenders:
Mortgage bankers : These lenders package and fund loans with their own funds or borrow money from other lenders to originate loans. After closing, they typically sell the loans on a secondary market to investors or agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Retail lenders : These lenders offer mortgages directly to consumers. Your bank or credit union is a good example of a retail lender. Most mortgage bankers can also be considered retail lenders.
Consumer direct lenders : Direct lenders originate loans themselves. They can be mortgage bankers, portfolio lenders or correspondent lenders. Consumer direct lenders specialize only in mortgages, as opposed to retail lenders who might offer other consumer banking services, like checking accounts.
Portfolio lenders : They use their own money to issue the mortgage, which provides more flexibility. Portfolio lenders do not sell their loan portfolios to investors or agencies such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Community banks, credit unions and savings and loan companies can all be portfolio lenders.
Correspondent lenders : These lenders originate, underwrite, and fund their own mortgage loans. After closing, the loan is sold to another investor.
Wholesale lenders : They provide loans through third parties like mortgage brokers, but they don't work directly with consumers. They usually sell the loans after they close.
Hard money lenders : These are private companies who offer mortgages. Their loans often have large origination fees and high interest rates. These short-term loans are popular among home flippers, as they're faster to acquire.
No. Your contact information will only be sent to the lenders that you find, and you will have the option to contact more lenders if you choose.
Chevron DownWe are committed to keeping your information safe and secure. We use the same encryption and security used by major banking institutions. And we never resell your information to multiple lenders.
Chevron DownMany home shoppers find a lender based on a recommendation from a friend or real estate agent, but that won't guarantee you'll get the best rate or the best service. On Zillow, you can research mortgage professionals on the largest online network of lenders with hundreds of thousands of customer reviews. At Zillow Group Marketplace, Inc. ("ZGMI"), we created a mortgage marketplace that encourages transparency on all levels.
Chevron DownMortgage brokers may save you time by researching available mortgage options for a fee. Their success at finding a loan with a lower interest rate or loan fees could reduce the amount you pay in fees or interest over the life of your loan.
Chevron DownYes, choosing the right mortgage lender can make a significant difference in the overall cost of borrowing money to purchase or refinance a home. Even if two lenders offer the same rate, the loans could vary in closing fees or requirements for down payment or mortgage insurance, resulting in a difference of thousands of dollars over the course of 15-30 years.
Participating lenders pay Zillow Group Marketplace, Inc. ("ZGMI") a fee to receive consumer contact information, like yours. ZGMI does not recommend or endorse any lender. We display lenders based on their location, customer reviews, and other data supplied by users. Questions you answer during the Home Journey questionnaire provide ZGMI with preliminary, personalized data about your circumstances and current interest in mortgage financing. ZGMI does not recommend or endorse any lender and ZGMI does not evaluate what participating lender(s) may be the best suited for your needs. Instead, we provide data to a lender(s) according to the lender's criteria, including based on the user-supplied data the lender believes may fit the particular mortgage products or services that it offers. ZGMI may display additional lenders based on their geographic location, customer reviews, and other data supplied by users. However, ZGMI makes no representation that advertised lenders have mortgage products or services that are suitable for your needs. You are free to shop around, including outside of options that we display, to assess your mortgage financing options. Click here to access our lender directory.
For more information on our advertising practices, see our Terms of Use & Privacy. ZGMI is a licensed mortgage broker, NMLS #1303160. A list of state licenses and disclosures is available here. Advertised historic low rates or claims of low raes are based upon the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which analyzes residential mortgage rate averages offered since 1971. NMLS ID and license/registration information provided through NMLS B2B Access by agreement with State Regulatory Registry, LLC. Any use of this information that violates the NMLS B2B Access Terms of Use is strictly prohibited. For additional information, see http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/.
Zillow Group is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our web experience for everyone, and we welcome feedback and accommodation requests. If you wish to report an issue or seek an accommodation, please let us know.
For listings in Canada, the trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by CREA and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.