Another way to figure if you are getting a good deal is if your Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist is able to show how this fits into your short and long term financial and investment goals. If it accomplishes this then the deal you are getting is quite exceptional.

When it comes to wondering whether you are getting a "good deal" on your mortgage loan, it's best to never forget that age old saying. "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't".

Do you feel good about the service and are comfortable with the way things worked out or are working out? If so, then you have went a long way towards a good deal.

There are many variables to consider. These include your credit score, your credit history, your debt to income, the loan to value of the property, the property type, your geographic location, the loan type, the loan amount, the loan purpose, length of employment, and whether your income and assets can be fully documented, partially documented, or not documented.
Your loan officer should be able to explain to you how each of these affect your rate.

Also think about the service you are getting because if someone isn't returning calls in a timely manner, they are more likely not making you the priority, therefore the deal is probably not good either.

Not only do you want to pay attention to the interest rate and what the best interest rates are at the present time to determine if you are getting a good deal or not, but you want to think about what type of mortgage loan you are getting. Even if you have the best credit and you see rates advertised that are a little lower than the rate you are receiving you should ask why your rate is not lower. Many times there are rate adjustments that will affect your loan that you might not have even thought about. For good-excellent credit borrowers if you are obtaining a conventional loan, most of the time these adjustments are going to be standard no matter what lender you go to. For example if you had an 800 credit score but you were doing a cash out refinance at 90% of the value of the appraisal that was done on your home, you would probably have a rate bump for the cash out and for the high LTV. Another example is if you were getting a mortgage loan and you did not want to pay PMI, there are ways to accept a slightly higher interest rate in lieu of the PMI so therefore you would have a rate bump for that as well. There are many other things that can affect your rate positively or negatively so be sure to ask why you are receiving the interest rate you are receiving if you are concerned whether you are getting a good deal or not with your mortgage. A few other examples of items that may affect your interest rate are your loan size, your income documentation type, whether you are doing a debt consolidation refinance versus a rate and term refinance, amount of equity left after refinance, amount of down payment on a purchase and many, many others.

Conforming rates fluctuate daily, if not throughout the day. While he/she has no control over the rates, an experienced mortgage professional will help you plan the timing of your transaction to get you the best deal possible.

The increased popularity of "stated" (i.e. not verified) loans in the last few years have, in many ways, made it harder for a layperson to rest assured that their deal is the best they can get.
I offer this simple rule of thumb:

The less you document or prove (whether it be income, assets, or both) from W2s, tax returns, paystubs or bank statements, the higher your corresponding rate will be.

Therefore, a borrower who can qualify "full doc." (nothing stated, everything verfied) will always qualify for a lower rate than a borrower who needs to state something. A "No Doc." loan or "NINA" (No Income, No Assets) loan will get the highest corresponding rate as the lender is approving your loan on nothing but your credit and your equity. This is how lenders "price in" the risk (as they see it) associated with your loan .

When it comes to getting a good deal there are several things that need to be considered. One tool people use is to figure out their break even point. Take the cost of the mortgage and divide that by the monthly savings. This will give you an idea of how long it will take you to recover from the cost of the mortgage.