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With lenders quoting a wide variety of interest rates and points, smart mortgage shoppers take a close look when comparing borrowing costs. Sometimes it turns out that the lowest interest rate isn’t necessarily the best buy. Here are some tips: 
- Compare borrowing costs.
- Count the points.
The simplest way to compare borrowing costs is to ask the lender for the actual annual percentage rate (APR) – the true interest on the loan. The APR consists of the simple interest rate, plus all other charges imposed by the lender. It’s not at all unusual for the APR to be substantially higher than the rate quoted by the lender. What’s more, a simple rate quoted by one lender, although higher than another lender’s advertised simple interest rate, may turn out to have the lower APR. For the shopper who wants to take into account the cost of points (each point is equal to 1% of the loan amount), an simplified rule of thumb comes in handy: Each point is roughly equal to an interest rate increase of 1/8th of 1% over a payback period of 30 years. Thus, a lender offering a 10% rate with no extra points is offering a better deal than the lender offering, say, a loan at 9 7/8% plus two points. Which is best for you depends on how long you plan to live in the house.