If you are in the process of getting a house and are planning to get either a fixed rate or interest only mortgage, the mortgage rate that you pay would go a certain length to help you decide. There are three main elements that effect you mortgage rate including the Federal Reserve Discount Interest Rate, your FICO Score and credit report, and lender business factors.

How does the Federal Reserve Discount Interest Rate affect you? Banks and other lending institutions borrow money from the Federal Reserve Banks at a "discount rate" that is set by the Federal Reserve Banks. This rate directly affects the "Prime Interest Rate" that the bank charges you. You will typically pay a rate based on prime, plus certain amount of interest. This will depend on the lender's policy on consumer mortgages.

A FICO score is a scoring method that determines the credit worthiness of a particular credit user. In simple words, the FICO Score lets the lenders assess how capable you are of paying off your credit. The FICO score will be arrived at after looking into the status and number of credit cards, balances owed, mortgage, installment loans, late payments, delinquencies, and bankruptcies. Potential lenders will get your credit report from a credit bureau.

You can achieve and maintain a good FICO score by paying all your bills on time, not applying for credit too frequently, and reducing your credit card balance. Check your credit information from time to time and ensure any false or outdated information is corrected. And don't let companies do a credit check on you unless you are ready to buy because too many requests for a credit report can actually drive your FICO score down.

Lender business factors are the issues where your ability to be a smart shopper can make a real difference. While banks and other lenders are in business to make a profit, they also exist in a competitive market, which means that you can get a better price with a bit of research and negotiation.

Always check out at least three lenders. Each lender will have unique guidelines for how they write loans, and one lender's guidelines could be more favorable to you than another.