When talking to a mortage lender/banker prior to making an mortgage application, you may find it helpful to ask the following questions in order to make an informed decision.
Do you have any concerns about our ability to get a quick loan approval? How long do we need a "Finance Contingency" to be in our offer to purchase? Note!!! Each credit report that you get will reduce your FICO credit score. This includes almost any application for credit, even rentals and cell phone applications. If you plan to shop lenders, have your credit checked by the one you are most likely to use then take a copy to the other lenders. If you use someone else, they will have to run another credit report.