Book excerpt: Before you take on the largest debt you'll ever have, you should have more - and better - information than you've ever had before. Whether you are a novice or an expert real estate investor this book provides the information you need to finally understand what lending channel, what loan product, and what price point truly fits your need. If you are an engineer looking to dig deeply into the nuts and bolts of how this works you will love the tools and analyses in this book. If you are more interested in just drilling in and getting quick answers, this book is an excellent reference guide with easy-to-find, high quality advice. In order to get the best mortgage possible you need to do five things very well: 1 - Decide whether you should even get a loan in the first place 2 - Choose the best lending channel for your needs 3 - Choose the best loan program for your needs 4 - Choose the best price point for your specific plans 5 - Lock your interest rate at the right time The Loan Guide provides a complete guide to doing all these things well. Finally, The Loan Guide covers how to manage your mortgage in order to keep as much money in your pocket over the course of your lifetime, how to interpret and avoid common marketing gimmicks, and how to use the Excel-based analytical tools used in examples throughout the book. Since 2008 all the rules of lending have changed. The Loan Guide, published in 2014, was written between 2008 and 2014 and updated as it was being written, to reflect the most current rules and guidelines possible. The Loan Guide is current, clear and complete, and you will find it answers exactly the questions you have, and many that you should have but don't know it.