You want to ask questions that accomplish two things: determine their experience and let them know that you're a savvy borrower who knows all the tricks. You don't need to go over a list of a hundred questions or have them fill out a questionnaire. Just spend a couple of minutes and ask them a few things. For example:

Some of the best loan officers don't work for the megabanks, but instead opt to work for a smaller mortgage banking firm or a mortgage broker.

There's no reason to discount referral sources at first glance. Some new agents (even experienced ones) don't provide any whatsoever for mortgage loans. Some do, but give out more than one business card. If you get two or three mortgage referrals from your agent, it might not be because she works with three loan officers all of the time.

For starters, you need to know how long the agent has been in business. Agents who have only been in business for a year or two and have had only four or five closings really haven't had enough experience to provide a good referral.

By interviewing them and asking the right questions. If you thought finding the best lender was a chore, you might think that finding the best loan officer will be even more work. Not true. In fact, the loan officer can help or hurt a lender's reputation. Finding a good loan officer means finding someone who will answer all your questions or find someone to answer them for you.

You need to be careful how and when you do this. If you're buying a home, closing within thirty days, and it's day twenty-eight, you won't have time to change. There's a lot that's happened since you signed your sales contract, and if you change lenders now you'll have to start some of those things all over again. Even though you can use the same documents or copies of those documents, you'll still have to get approved at another lender.

Perhaps neither one at first. The mortgage process can be confusing, especially if it's your first home. For starters, I would begin with the people at wherever you have your checking or savings account. One of the easiest ways to slide into the mortgage process is to speak with someone you know and trust. That means you start at your retail bank or credit union. You may not find your best interest rate there (but again, you just might), but it will give you a yardstick by which to judge other lenders.