Myth: getting quotes from several lenders wrecks your credit

Credit scoring models are built to let people shop for a mortgage. Multiple mortgage-related inquiries made within a short window are generally treated as a single event rather than as separate applications, because the models are designed to recognise rate shopping for what it is.

The exact length of that window depends on which scoring model is used, and there is more than one in circulation. What is consistent is the intent: comparing lenders for one purchase is not supposed to be punished, and pretending otherwise is how people end up accepting the first thing they are offered.

Not just the rate. Points paid up front, lender fees, mortgage insurance treatment, and how each option behaves if you keep the loan longer or shorter than you expect. Two offers can look similar on one line and diverge substantially over the time you actually hold the loan.

The Loan Estimate exists to make this comparable. It is a standardised form for exactly this purpose. Ask for it, and compare the same boxes across lenders rather than comparing headline numbers.