1.  You can, and should, get pre-approved for a mortgage before you look for a home.  Pre-approval is easy and can give you complete peace of mind when shopping for your home.  Your local lending institution can provide you with written preapproval for you at no cost or obligation, and it can all be done quite easily over the phone. 

2.  Know what monthly dollar amount you fell comfortable committing to.  When you discuss mortgage pre-approval with your lending institution, find out what level you qualify for, but also pre-assess for yourself what monthly dollar amount you feel comfortable committing to.  Your situation may give you a pre-approval amount that is higher (or lower) than the amount of money you would want to pay out each month. 

3.  You should be thinking about your long term goals and expected situation to determine the type of mortgage that will best suit your needs.
There are a number of questions you should be asking yourself before you commit to a certain type of mortgage.  How long do you think you will own the home?  What direction are interest rates going in and how quickly?  Is your income expected to change in the near term? 

4.  Make sure you understand what prepayment privileges and payment frequency options are available to you.
More frequent payments (for example, weekly & bi-weekly) can literally shsave years off of your  mortgage.  Structuring your payments so that they come out more often with significantly lessen the amount of interest that you will be charged over the long term.

5.  Ask if your mortgage is assumable.
An assumable morgage is one that the buyer for your home can take over when you move to your next home.  This can be a very powerful tool at the negotiating table making it much easier and more desirable for a buyer to buy your home and again saves you any discharge penalties.

6.  You should seriously consider dealing with a Mortgage Expert. Consider dealing only with a professional who specializes in mortages.  Enlisting their services can make a significant difference in the cost and effectiveness of the mortgage you obtain.