Buying a house is a huge pain in the ass.

I'm not done with the process, but I wish I were. If I were to do it over again, I would do things differently. I would try not to use a mortgage broker, but they can be useful if you're not rock solid.

Here is my advice:

Try to posse up as much cash as you can as early as you can. Banks generally ask for two months' worth of bank statements so, if you're going to borrow money from a family member, do it at least two months before even starting the house buying process. If you don't want to wait, make sure you only borrow money from direct family members. You'll need to generate gift letters, but they pass the muster if they're from family.

The banks will scrutinize your finances carefully so make sure you can explain where all the money comes from. I'm not sure if they'll ask you for statements beyond two months. I think it really depends on your credit and how likely it is that you could have that much saved up.