Does a free mortgage search tool work? Yes, when it is built on a broker. You enter one set of details, a broker such as Duane Buziak matches them against pricing from hundreds of wholesale lenders, and you see side-by-side offers based on a soft credit pull, with no obligation to continue. This guide walks through running that comparison on Free Mortgage Search by Duane Buziak, reading the results correctly, and deciding what to do next. Before you start, have a rough home price or loan balance, your down payment or home equity, an estimate of your credit range, and a property in a licensed state: VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, or MD.
Step 1: Gather the Details the Tool Will Ask For
The quality of your results depends on the quality of your inputs. Collect these before you open the form:
- Property state: confirm it is one of VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, or MD.
- Loan purpose: purchase or refinance.
- Purchase price or current balance: the number the loan amount is built from.
- Down payment or home value: for a purchase, the cash you will put down; for a refinance, what the home would sell for today.
- Occupancy: primary residence, second home, or investment property.
- Property type: single-family, condo, townhome, or multi-unit.
- Estimated credit range: for example 680 to 719.
A few terms will appear in the results. Loan-to-value (LTV) is your loan amount divided by the home’s value; a $320,000 loan on a $400,000 home is 80% LTV. A wholesale lender funds loans that brokers submit rather than selling directly to the public. A broker shops many of those lenders for you, while a single-shelf lender quotes only its own products. A soft pull lets a company see your credit profile without a formal application, so it does not count as a hard inquiry. A hard pull is the inquiry that accompanies a full application.
Two mistakes cost people the most. The first is guessing your credit tier too high. The tool will then show pricing you cannot actually get, and the gap appears later as a disappointment. Pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and use them as a reference for your range. If your score is on the lower side, these low credit score mortgage options are worth a look before you enter your range. The second is leaving out the property type. Condos and multi-unit homes are priced differently from single-family houses, so omitting this detail skews every number that follows.
Step 2: Enter Your Scenario Once and Choose NoTouch Credit Pull
Here is what happens behind the screen. Your single form feeds Duane Buziak’s broker access to hundreds of wholesale lenders, so you do not retype your details for each one. A bank’s website shows you one rate sheet. A broker’s search draws from many, then filters to the programs your scenario qualifies for. For a deeper look at the mechanics, see how a free mortgage search tool works.
At the credit step, choose the NoTouch Credit Pull option. It is a soft pull mortgage pre-approval-style comparison: you get a no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval-style look at your options, but it is not a full application and it is not a commitment from anyone. The CFPB’s home-buying guidance covers how shopping for a mortgage interacts with credit inquiries. Scoring models generally treat multiple mortgage inquiries within a short window as a single event, though the length of that window varies by model, so check the current explanation there instead of relying on a rule of thumb.
The decision at this step is simple. Use the soft pull for early comparison, when you are still deciding between loan types, lock lengths, and points. Save the hard pull for later, when you have picked a loan and are moving into underwriting.
If the form rejects your state: the property is outside the licensed list (VA, FL, TN, GA, DC, NC, SC, MD), and the tool cannot quote it. Check that you entered the property’s state rather than your current mailing address. If you are relocating, the property location is what counts.
Step 3: Read How Your Offers Are Built from the Rate Sheet Up
Every quote starts from a wholesale base rate, the price a wholesale lender publishes for a given loan type. Pricing adjustments then move it up or down based on your credit tier, your LTV, the loan program, the property type, and the lock period. The result is your quoted rate.
Points and credits trade against that rate. Paying a point (1% of the loan amount) buys a lower rate. Taking a lender credit produces a higher rate but reduces what you pay at closing. That is how no-out-of-pocket closing options work: the credit covers costs, and you accept a higher rate in exchange. Neither choice is wrong; they fit different plans. If you want to understand every line item that results, this guide to mortgage terms and fees on your Loan Estimate breaks it down.
Rate lock length is also priced in. Longer locks can cost more because the lender carries the risk for longer. Any rate or lock price you see is a snapshot, so treat what you see as of October 2026 as a reference for comparison, not a promise about next week.
Loan size sets the program menu
FHFA sets the conforming loan limits each year. For 2026, the baseline limit is $832,750 for a single-unit property, and the ceiling in high-cost areas is $1,249,125, according to FHFA’s conforming loan limit page. Limits vary by county, and higher-cost counties sit between the baseline and the ceiling, so confirm the figure for your property. Loans above the applicable limit are jumbo loans, which are priced on a different basis and often have different documentation and reserve requirements.
The tool may show several program families: conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA where the property and borrower are eligible in the licensed state you entered. Each has its own eligibility rules and pricing structure, which is why two offers with the same rate can have different costs.
Step 4: Compare Offers Side by Side with Dare to Compare
Dare to Compare is the part of the process where you hold your results up against any quote you already have. Bring the other quote and line the two up on the same four items: loan amount, loan type, lock length, and points. If any of those differ, the comparison tells you little. For a fuller walkthrough, see how to compare mortgage offers from different lenders.
The table below uses clearly illustrative figures on a $400,000, 30-year fixed conventional loan. They are not current rates and not a quote.
| Offer | Loan type | Rate | APR | Points / credits | Est. lender fees | Monthly P&I | Cash to close (est.) | Lock period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offer 1 | Conventional | 6.500% | 6.62% | 1 point ($4,000) | $2,400 | $2,528 | $26,400 | 45 days |
| Offer 2 | Conventional | 6.750% | 6.80% | None | $2,400 | $2,594 | $22,400 | 45 days |
| Offer 3 | Conventional | 6.875% | 6.90% | $2,000 lender credit | $2,400 | $2,628 | $20,400 | 45 days |
APR disclosure: the annual percentage rate (APR) includes certain fees and costs in addition to interest, so it can differ from the note rate. Figures in this table are illustrative assumptions, include no real current rates, and are not an offer or a quote. Cash to close assumes a $20,000 down payment plus other costs held constant.
Read across each row, not down a single column. Offer 1 has the lowest rate and the lowest payment but requires the most cash. Offer 3 has the highest rate but the lowest cash to close.
The mistake to avoid: comparing a low-rate offer to a higher-rate offer that carries more credits. The rates look like a clear win for one side, yet the higher-rate offer may leave you with thousands more in your pocket on closing day. Always compare rate and cash to close together, and use the APR as a cross-check on total cost.
Step 5: Work Through a Dollar Example Before You Choose
Suppose you are choosing between two offers on a $400,000, 30-year fixed loan. The figures are illustrative, not a quote.
- Offer A: 6.50% with 1 point. The point costs $4,000 (1% of $400,000). Monthly principal and interest: $2,528.27.
- Offer B: 6.75% with no points. Monthly principal and interest: $2,594.39.
The monthly difference is $2,594.39 minus $2,528.27, or $66.12. Divide the $4,000 you paid for the point by $66.12 and you get about 60.5 months, so the break-even is roughly month 61, a little over five years.
The decision rule follows from that number. If you expect to keep this loan past month 61, Offer A wins, because after that point the lower payment is pure savings. At month 120, for example, Offer A would have saved about $7,934 in payments ($66.12 times 120) against the $4,000 cost, for a net gain near $3,934. If you may sell or refinance before month 61, Offer B can come out ahead, because you will not have recovered the upfront cost of the point.
The same logic applies to lender credits. A no-out-of-pocket closing option works by taking a credit from the lender in exchange for a higher rate, which reduces what you bring to closing. That makes sense if cash is tight or if you plan to move soon, and it costs more over a long hold. You can test more scenarios with an online mortgage rate calculator, and run your own numbers through the tool with your expected time in the home, since the right answer depends on a number only you know.
Step 6: Check the Broker vs. Single-Shelf Difference Behind the Results
Every quote comes from somewhere, and where it comes from shapes what you are shown. National direct providers such as Rocket Mortgage, Movement Mortgage, Guild Mortgage, NFM Lending, and Alcova Mortgage price from their own shelf: their own products, their own underwriting, their own pricing. That is a legitimate model, and it can mean a streamlined, consistent process. A broker like Duane Buziak places loans with hundreds of wholesale lenders, so the tool can compare programs across them. For a head-to-head view, see FreeMortgageSearch vs Rocket Mortgage.
| Dimension | Broker (hundreds of wholesale lenders) | Single-shelf direct provider |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing source | Many wholesale rate sheets compared for your scenario | One company’s rate sheet |
| Program range | Programs from many lenders, including niche guidelines | The provider’s own program menu |
| Underwriting | Done by the wholesale lender chosen for your loan | In-house at the provider |
| Fit when your file is unusual | Can route to a lender whose guidelines suit it | Limited to in-house guidelines |
| Credit check for comparison | NoTouch Credit Pull, a soft pull, is available here | Varies by provider |
Ask how any broker is paid. Loan originator compensation is regulated under Regulation Z, and the CFPB’s rule text on loan originator compensation describes the current framework. Rules can change, so check that page for the latest version rather than relying on a summary. You should see compensation disclosed on your Loan Estimate.
The practical benefit of independence is fit. The tool can surface the program that matches your credit, down payment, and property instead of only what one shelf offers. If you are still weighing the two models, this guide on whether it is better to use a mortgage broker or a bank goes deeper. Whichever provider you talk to, ask the same question: whose shelf is this quote coming from? The answer tells you how much of the market you have actually seen.
Step 7: Pick Your Next Move and Lock Only When Ready
After the comparison, you have three reasonable options:
- Keep comparing. Adjust the down payment, loan type, or points and rerun the tool. The soft pull means this costs nothing in credit terms.
- Get a pre-approval letter. A mortgage pre-approval without hard pull is a preliminary look, not a final letter. A formal pre-approval letter involves documentation and a hard pull, so take that step when you are ready to make offers or move forward.
- Lock your rate. Do this once you have chosen a loan and have a realistic closing date.
If you lock, match the lock length to your closing date with some margin, and ask what an extension costs if closing slips. Extensions are typically priced, so a short lock that expires can be more expensive than a slightly longer one chosen up front. If a lock has already lapsed, here is what happens when a mortgage rate lock expires.
When you move forward with Duane Buziak (NMLS#1110647), plan to bring recent pay stubs, bank statements, and a government-issued ID; this checklist of documents needed for mortgage approval covers the rest by loan type. This is guidance for preparing, not a loan commitment. Approval depends on full underwriting review.
The mistake to avoid: floating your lock because you heard a rumor about where rates are headed. Nobody can reliably predict direction. Lock when the payment fits your budget and the closing date is firm, not when a headline says to wait.
Run Your Own NoTouch Credit Pull Comparison
You now know what the tool does with your information, how to read what comes back, and how to decide. The only thing left is to run it with your own numbers. Your dream home is within reach: start comparing personalized mortgage rates from trusted lenders today and discover the loan solution that fits your budget and goals. Compare rates now and take the first step toward securing your home with expert guidance every step of the way. Duane Buziak has been helping buyers find the right mortgage since 2014.
