To begin to understand the Annual Percentage Rate, it helps to understand the standard, fixed rate mortgage loan. A standard loan consists of:

1. Loan amount
2. Number of payments
3. Monthly payment amount
4. Nominal interest rate

Let's consider a simplified, real estate loan transaction, using the above loan as our starting point. You borrow $100,000 and pay a 1.5 percent loan fee to the bank. For this example, that is the only fee you pay. At the completion of the transaction, how much money do you have? $100,000? No. You have $100,000 less the $1,500 loan fee, or $98,500.

Taking into account the cost of your transaction, let's take a second look at your new loan.

Remember, there can be only one correct interest rate given the other three factors. In this example, the interest rate is the APR--9.17 percent. Since the loan amount was effectively reduced (you didn't get $100,000), and the number of payments and monthly payment stayed the same, the interest rate had to increase.

Fundamentally, that's all there is to the APR in a real estate loan transaction. This simplified example recognized only one fee related to obtaining a loan. You'll incur many other costs when obtaining a loan, some effecting the APR, some not, but the principle is the same.

Theoretically, the APR is a number you can use to accurately compare loans among different lenders. Since the APR takes into account costs of obtaining the loan, you should be able to use APRs to find the best loan. Unfortunately, when calculating the APR, not all lenders include all fees, and some lenders may include fewer fees than another lender. What's a borrower to do?

Ask for a signed and dated Good Faith Estimate of Closing Costs (GFE). A properly prepared GFE will itemize all the costs associated with your loan. Only then can you accurately compare lenders' programs.

What fees are included in the APR?

The following fees are usually included in the APR:

• Points - both discount points and origination points
• Pre-paid interest. The interest paid from the date the loan closes to the end of the month. Most mortgage companies assume 15 days of interest in their calculations. However, companies may use any number between 1 and 30!
• Loan-processing fee
• Underwriting fee
• Document-preparation fee
• Private mortgage-insurance
• Appraisal fee
• Credit-report fee

The following fees are sometimes included in the APR:

• Loan-application fee
• Credit life insurance (insurance that pays off the mortgage in the event of a borrowers death)

The following fees are usually not included in the APR:

• Title or abstract fee
• Escrow fee
• Attorney fee
• Notary fee
• Document preparation (charged by the closing agent)
• Home-inspection fees
• Recording fee
• Transfer taxes

Points to remember
An APR is a starting point from which to begin to compare loans. You must get a signed and dated Good Faith Estimate of Closing Costs with which to accurately compare lenders' programs.