<prompt> Human: So my wife and I would like to buy a house. Were sick of renting, and at 28 I think Im getting too old to not be building equity. Edit: We think were going to stay in this area for a while. Ive been at my current job for 5 years and my wifes job prospects look good in the surrounding area when she graduates.Im suspicious of banks in general and dont want to get screwed or at least, get as minimally screwed as I can getting a mortgage. So I dont just want to go to my bank and apply for a mortgage without shopping around a lot.A friend of mine that bought a house a couple years ago says to go talk to a local mortgage broker, but I want to know if thats a good plan to trust the local guys or if the internet offers potentially better deals.Some info about our situation:My wife and I are both 28, married 3 years. We have minimal savings 2000 as Ive been trying very hard to pay off my student loans to free up an extra 150mo Went from original 17k to under 10k and will be paid off by or before Feb 2014 at the rate Ive been throwing money at it. My credit score is in the high 600s and my parents have offered to cosign for the mortgage to help us out My parents house is paid for, credit is strong and their combined income is 135k. Im hoping that the payoff on my student loan will help push my score over 700. My wifes score is in the low 500s as last I checked thanks to a delinquent account that is in repayment. The homes I have been considering run anywhere from 80-130k to get in the area I would like to live. I work full time and bring home 36kyr salary but expecting a raise this fall plus another 5-10k a year in side work, my wife is a full-time student with about 60k in mostly federal student loans in deferment so long as shes in school and works part time during the summer and winter break so all my budgeting is done around my income and not expecting or depending on any of hers. I have 3 credit cards with 3300 combined limit that I have carried some balance in the last couple months in order to throw as much money as possible at my student loan debt, but prior to my determination to pay off the student loan they were paid off every month. We live in central Iowa and I currently have bank accounts with USAA and USBank and credit cards with USAA and Capital One.Im a very DIY guy and have my own tools job is a maintenance mechanic so a fixxer-upper is not out of the question but the town we want to live in has a large college and very high home values even for pretty decrepit buildings or bare land.Im not wanting nor ready to buy tomorrow, but I would like any relevant advice for selecting a mortgage broker or company. Im hoping to purchase a house before my wife graduates so we can put our combined incomes towards paying her student loans off completely before having any kids.I do have some saleable assets vehicles that total maybe 7-8 grand that I planned to liquidate to come up with as big a down payment as possible for a house once the student loan is paid off, as mentioned above this will be no later than feb 2014.. I figure if I sell them now Ill put them towards the loan and have nothing to sell and not much saved.Edited for some clarity and relevant details  <response>: You arent really financially ready to purchase a house. Your credit scores arent great, and if your parents co-sign, the bank will have to take into account all of their income and debts too. You want credit scores 740 for the best mortgage rates.You really want to put 20 down on a house, to avoid PMI. 20 on a 80k house is 16k. Sure a mortgage broker might be able to find you an 8010 loan to avoid PMI, but best to avoid that if you can. Then there will be closing costs which will be another couple of grand. You might luck out and get the seller to pay your closing costs, but this depends on the real estate market in your area buyers market vs sellers market.On top of that, you should have an emergency fund of 3-6 months of expenses, and youll need to factor in being a homeowner, there are a number of new emergencies that you didnt have to worry about as a renter.I have 3 credit cards with 3300 combined limit that I have carried some balance in the last couple months in order to throw as much money as possible at my student loan debtUnless your credit card interest rates are less than your student loan interest rates, this isnt a good idea. CC rates typically are 20, while student loan rates are around 6.8.I would recommend spending the next couple of years repairing your credit and saving up a down payment. 