We are looking at a possible move in the next six months to a year, though nothing is confirmed yet. Is it better for me to start shopping around for a mortgage company now, or am I just inviting unwanted phone calls and advertisements?

You might get some phone calls, but you'll more than likely need to spend a minimum of $200 to move forward with a loan - so hopefully the mortage lender(s) you visit with may be willing to give you a little space to make your decision. I, too, just moved and had a great experience with a lender - we closed on time and everything was as advertised.

I'm in a similar position, and have had a couple of chats with my bank about what they'll require from me to move forward with an application.

I figure so long as you're inquiring in person, rather than giving away your email address, then you should be relatively safe from junk mail.

ING has a no closing cost mortgage right now. We have a great rate on our existing mortgage, but I was still tempted to give theirs a try. It's a variable rate (but it's a seven year fix). You might check it out. Just make sure that the closing costs really are waived or else you might be paying too much for your move.

If you can pay closing costs you will reduce the overall cost of your mortgage. You can even ask the seller to provide concessions and assist in paying off the closing costs. When we moved we had the option of a no closing cost loan, but it required PMI and actually cost more per month than we would pay in monthly payments. Always ask questions.

In my opinion the credit crisis will escalate before the end of the year, which might affect your ability to get mortgage financing or its cost.

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Never spend your money before you have it. -- Thomas Jefferson