finding the best lender (and what about CUs?)

[Anonymous]

I may be buying a house in the early fall.  My situation is good:

      Mortgage scores: all above 780, middle score 791

      Downpayment: at least 11% available (but will not have 20%)

      Job History: Secure govt job, salary 104k annual, been working there 16 years.

      DTI: very low, almost no debt, no car payment, etc.

I am not a first time buyer.

Because of all this I don't need a lender that offers products geared to help people who are distressed buyers in one way or other (not the best DTI, < 9% down payment, imperfect scores, imperfect job history, etc.). 

Just the opposite, I'd like lenders that offer packages designed for somebody who's got a great "vita" in that sense. 

What is the best way for me to find that kind of lender?

Another question: I am a member of Alliant and a local credit union already.  Should I still try joining Navy Fed or some other CU now so that in July/Aug I will be eligible for their products?  Can a non-member still talk to NFCU (Pen Fed, etc.) loan officers about loan options and then if they offer the right fit, join at that time?

I was a much more naive home buyer the first time around.  I went with Quicken and didn't have a good experience.  I want to do better this time.

My apologies in advance f there are already threads about this!

[Anonymous]

Definately try joining NFCU.  I used them for my mortgage and it was so easy...  You can also talk to NFCU just to gather info before joining. I used their realty plus and got some cash back after closing which was awesome.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, YIM!  I'll mark that down

Curious to hear if anyone else has some idea.  Aside from the specific question about Navy, I'd love to hear any advice or resources about how a guy like me (who has good scores, good job history, very low DTI, etc.) should go about finding the best deal on a mortgage.

[Revelate]

Most CU's aren't the most organized and many outsource when it comes to mortgages, I'd strongly recommend going with a mortgage shop that does nothing but mortgages.  I don't have any experience with NFCU but several have used them here and I haven't heard of issues but others likely pay more attention heh.

If you are chasing a jumbo loan, you're often better off going with one of the big name banks (at least the ones not named Wells imo) as they generally do a good job on those and it's hard to beat their rates anywhere else.

Failing both of those recommendations, find a LO that doesn't suck, as a lot do and that will make your mortgage more painful than it needs to be.  Mortgage rates other than the jumbo case are pretty close across the board, so find one that has good reviews for getting their loans closed on time, and it's never a bad idea to socialize with a couple lenders and ask for their tier sheets just to see what you're looking at as you'll be able to read those as well as any banker.