How to buy a home when interest rates are high?

For couples considering buying (or refinancing) a home, there may be one more headache to deal with: more scrutiny by mortgage lenders. In the past, while the banks may have been too liberal, now the pendulum has swung the other way. After problems in the sub-prime mortgage market, they are now strict with everyone demanding more documents and looking at credit scores more closely. So be prepared with documentation and if your credit history is less than stellar, you might have to pay higher interest rates.