If you're in the market for a mortgage refinancing, you might just be tempted to stick with your current lender -- they know your situation, you're comfortable with them -- so why change?

There could be thousands of reasons why, and they all start with dollar symbols.

But first, check out your credit score, and repair it if necessary. Even though you might have thought you don't need to worry about your credit score after you got the mortgage in the first place, your credit score still weighs in a refinancing.

Then, look around for mortgage providers. Lenders are constantly changing their criteria for loans, so one lender you might have looked at when getting your mortgage could be offering better terms now.

There are a couple of reasons to stay with your current lender. It might be faster. And if you're happy with your current situation, you might want to keep your business there. You never know when you'll need assistance from your mortgage company down the road.

However, you should still look around to get other rates, which you can use as negotiating fodder with your current lender, if nothing else. Look at the usual suspects for refinancing, but also look at those you might not have considered before, like credit unions.

Refinancing comes with some of the same tradeoffs as purchase loans. When you took out the original mortgage to purchase your home, the lender offered you the opportunity to 'buy down' the interest rate by paying points, which are an amount equal to 1% of the loan amount. You'll likely get the same offer when refinancing -- paying points help you pay down the interest rate of the mortgage loan.

So if you're planning to stay in your place for awhile yet, it might be a good investment (points are also tax-deductible generally).