Finding a lender you can partner with is one of the very first steps to becoming a homeowner, and the lowest advertised rate is rarely the best measure. Here’s what to compare and the questions I’d ask before you pick one.

The first step to buying a home in Denver is getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Browsing listings online comes after that. A pre-approval tells you what you can actually afford and what your monthly payment will look like, so you’re searching with real numbers instead of guesswork. Once that’s in place, the rest of the…