How can I make sure that a mortgage lender is giving me their best lending terms (lowest interest rates and closing costs)? Most banks only list their interest rates online for owner-occupied loans so it's more difficult to compare non-owner occupied loans online unless it is safe to assume that for non-owner occupied, it should be around 1% more? Also, I've heard that there is an inverse relationship between interest rates and closing costs, meaning that if a lender offers you a lower interest rate, then their closing costs will be higher than the lender that had higher interest rates. So it looks like lenders make up for it one way or the other. How true is this? In addition, what makes comparisons a bit more confusing is when lenders start mentioning discount points and how you can buy your way into a lower interest rate.
