For too many people, it was easy to get sucked into buying more house than they could afford, especially when housing prices didn't seem to have a ceiling and appeared to be a "can't miss" investment. There was a school of thought that said that if you prequalify for a home loan, you should take out as big of a loan and buy as expensive of a house as possible.

But as we've seen, once the housing market collapsed, millions of Americans were stuck trying to pay off loans with payments that were increasing more difficult each month. Eventually, the options become either refinancing home mortgage debt or foreclosing on the house.

Unfortunately, this also creates opportunities for unscrupulous lenders to use predatory tactics to take advantage of borrowers in their time of need. Whether is saddling them with needlessly large jumbo mortgage loans or including lots of hidden fees and costs, it's easy for a shady lender to make a bad situation worse. So it's important that borrowers protect themselves and defend their assets when refinancing.

One of the most important things that a borrower can do when looking to refinance is to thoroughly investigate their potential loan officer. The difference between a reputable agent and a scam artist is that one is interested in growing long-term business and the other only cares about making a quick buck. You can usually get a good sense of which side of the fence a loan officer stands on by making an appointment to visit them in person. A good loan officer will welcome the time to speak with you and get to know you, while someone looking to get your money will likely try to "close the deal" without a face-to-face meeting.

You should come up with a list of questions to ask your potential loan officer at the meeting. After all, it's about more than just getting the best residential mortgage rate - it's about finding a solution that works for you. A good loan officer will take the time to craft a package that meets your specific needs, rather than trying to wedge you into a cookie cutter plan.

Richard Manfredi has worked as a professional writer for more than 15 years, including covering sports, education and general news for major newspapers and online news sites.