If you are thinking about buying a house, chances are that you’ve given some thought to your creative home buying options. There are many opportunities out there for creative home buyers and the best way to learn about the pros and cons of all of them may be to get your home loan through a local banker.

Why?

There are many opportunities to shop for creative home buying opportunities, including mortgage rates. Some companies that claim they’ll get quotes for you promise to have loan officers fighting for your business. But when it comes down to it, you need a local banker who knows your needs, your capabilities and the community in which you are buying your home for the best creative home buying options.

A local banker knows more people in the area than a remote lender. That means the you can get help with services such as appraisals and repairs. In this case, the creative home buying goes well past telling you the interest rate you can expect.

When you look for creative home buying options a local banker, you chance seeing your banker with his or her family at the same restaurant. How does that affect your creative home buying opportunity? Any person will work harder to help someone they know. It’s just human nature. When you deal with a stranger via phone, fax or Internet, you’re still a stranger. But when you work with a local banker, you already have a familiar tie: community. It’s almost like having family to work on securing your creative home buying option for you.

Your local banker can better inform you of creative home buying loan programs available that are specific to your area. For instance, a remote lender might not know that your region is in a rural development zone which might offer more home financing opportunities. Knowing the community is a big advantage in your favor and that’s where the local banker excels.

What you might sacrifice when dealing with a local banker for creative home buying options, depending on your community, is interest rates. If your community does not have competitive banks, you might pay a little more in interest than if those folks who promise to have lenders beating your door down with creative home buying loans really come through. The interest rate you will pay on your home mortgage will ultimately depend on your credit rating, even with creative home buying options. Even if you pay a little more back in interest, you will be satisfied with the service of a local banker who can get you into the home of your dreams quicker simply by being familiar with the community, the property and situations that might arise specific to your community or region.

When choosing a local banker for your creative home buying needs, consider using the bank where you already do business. They have some information about you on file, meaning maybe a little less paper work to fill out on your quest for creative home buying opportunities. If you do business locally at two or more banks, ask them what their interest rates are on creative home buying mortgages. In most communities, the interest rates will be very close if not exactly to the T. 

Where, then, do you draw a line to make your decision regarding your creative home buying loan? How about personality? Pick the banker you can easily talk to. You’ll be talking quite a bit over the next few weeks as you pursue your house purchase. Pick someone who is helpful, knowledgeable about creative home buying options, and concerned that your best interests are taken into consideration. These are all areas in which local bankers shine.