The very first thing that you will need to do is determine how much you can afford to pay for your mortgage each month. The last thing you want to do is to get a mortgage that you struggle to make payments on, because you will likely end up defaulting on the loan at some point. Take the time to do the math so you can find out exactly what your price range is. There are online calculators that you can use to find out what your budget is like when it comes to getting this type of loan. Mortgages come with a few different payback periods, but you may want to think about going with a standard 30-year term if you are planning on staying in the home you buy for more than a few years. It is important that you take the time to look into some of the different loan options that you have to choose from though, because you will absolutely need to know beforehand. A long payback period may seem nice at first, but it also means paying more interest. Make sure that you are completely comfortable with the loan period you decide on.