When it comes to buying a house there's a lot you have to do in order to prepare yourself for the moment you actually do indeed become a homeowner. There's nothing easy about shopping for real estate and if you don't put the necessary work into the home hunting process you might not come away all that happy once things are all said and done.

One of the most important home buying steps you must take that will bring you one step closer to owning that dream property is to apply for a mortgage. There aren't too many prospective home buyers out there that can afford real estate outright and that means having to find additional funding elsewhere to support your dream of owning a home.

That's where mortgages come into play. You're more than likely not going to buy any home for sale without the assistance of a mortgage so you better put the time and effort into researching all the available mortgage choices you have at your disposal. Luckily for you there are plenty of banks or private mortgage lenders offering a wide range of mortgages for you to choose from. You can start by looking at mortgage options from Cannect or AshtonMortgages.ca for new home mortgages. Or do a web search to find a broker in your area.

The most common types of mortgages that most homeowners tend to go with are the variable rate and fixed rate mortgages. A variable rate mortgage is one where the interest rate can fluctuate during the course of the mortgage term and a fixed rate mortgage is one where the interest rate stays the same throughout the entirety of the mortgage term. Each type of mortgage has their advantages and disadvantages.

When it comes to a variable rate mortgage the appeal to such a mortgage option is a lower interest rate than what you would normally pay when compared to a fixed rate mortgage. You'll be drawn in to that low interest rate when you first sign up for a variable rate mortgage but it could go up at any second without much notice and that's the drawback that comes with the variable rate mortgage. This type of mortgage is nice when the interest rate is low but that appeal quickly fades away whenever the interest rates go up.

The fixed rate mortgage is for those that don't consider themselves much of a risk taker and would rather take the steady route. While you know there's never a chance of the interest rate lowering with fixed rate mortgages there's also never going to be a time when it will rise either and that's good enough for some potential homeowners.

The only other decision you have to make once you've decided which mortgage to apply for is determining the length of the mortgage. Five, ten, seven, fifteen, twenty years are a few examples of mortgage term lengths and it'll be something you can discuss with your mortgage adviser.