Consumers Spend Same Time Researching Home Loans As Vacation, Computer Purchases

A home loan is substantially more expensive than a computer or vacation.

Yet, a recent Zillow Mortgage Marketplace survey showed that consumers spend approximately the same amount of time - about five hours - researching these three options before settling on a purchase. The survey, which was commissioned by Harris Interactive, also indicated that people spend about 10 hours researching a car before making a purchase.

The average home loan, however, costs about $145,920. This is more than five times the amount the $27,000 average spent on a car, according to the report. Respondents in the survey allocated the most time researching a home, which was significantly more costly than any other item. The typical amount of time spent conducting this research was 40 hours.

The amount of time spent on researching a home loan is unchanged from the survey's results from 2008 - before the foreclosure crisis. Zillow.com chief economist Stan Humphries called this "surprising."

"People spend countless hours shopping for the perfect home, yet few realize that small differences in the interest rate or discount points can add tens of thousands of dollars to the overall cost of the home," he said. "In an area like mortgages, where the lender has so much more information that the typical borrower, getting multiple offers from lenders and being able to compare them relative to one another is critical to leveling the playing field."

This rushed effort may be responsible for the two-thirds of individuals who would do their home loan shopping differently if given another chance. About half of these individuals said they wished it was easier to shop around for interest rates, according to the report.

A consumer's interest rate is often based on information in his or her credit report. This will include the age and number of accounts they have as well as tendency to pay bills on time. Therefore, those seeking a home loan may want to take measures to improve their credit by reducing their balances and paying bills on time.

They may also benefit from a credit monitoring service, which will notice them when there are changes to their report and draw particular attention to any erroneous or fraudulent information. This allows consumers to take quick action against mistakes or fraud by notifying the credit rating bureau or lender.

by: Krystle Chelsea Chan

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