Over the life of an average 30-year, $250,000 home loan with 20% down and at today's interest rates, you will pay about $216,000 in interest -almost as much as the $250,000 you pay for the home itself. You can see why knowing how to get the best loan can be as important to your wallet as negotiating the best price for the home itself. Taking steps to insure that your loan is gets approved is also more important than ever before. That's because, after the real estate bubble burst, banks grappled with billions of dollars in mortgage loan defaults and foreclosures and are generally more cautious now. And new laws designed to protect you may make getting a loan even tougher.