I found that the most important part of choosing a good lender is finding a company — whether it be a bank, credit union, or mortgage broker — that you trust and feel at ease working with. Buying a house is stressful enough without dealing with a lender that causes you added anxiety, or maybe worse, more money. The best way to find one is to start by doing your research.

So you’re not independently wealthy? You don’t have tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars laying around for that flashy new car or home of your own? Welcome to the club — the “I need a loan to make a big purchase” club.

For many of us, owning a home can be a dream come true — and being at risk of losing a home can be a nightmare. But if you find yourself struggling to make mortgage payments for any reason, the worst thing you can do is go back to sleep and ignore the problem.

As much as we might like to, we can’t just head to the nearest bank with a loan figure in mind and come out with rolls of cash — and that’s the way it should be. Who’s to say what kind of trouble we would get into with no forethought about paying back a loan?