All the hand-wringing aside, underwriting guidelines for prime mortgages haven't changed much since the housing bust. But what has changed are lenders and their automated underwriting tools.

In 2006, the minimum credit score for loans sold by primary lenders on the secondary market to Fannie Mae was 620 -- exactly where that requirement stands today. Likewise, the maximum debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is the same now as it was during the boom years, 38 percent, with exceptions up to 45 percent with compensating factors.

Still, it's much more difficult to qualify for the best rates and terms. And the reason for that, according to Credit Sesame, a website that helps borrowers make smart credit decisions, is that lenders are no longer pushing loans through at the limits.

"While the underlying requirements loaded into automated underwriting (AU) engines are not publicly disclosed, it is clear they were much more aggressive during the boom years," says Tony Wahl, director of operations at Credit Sesame.

"In the boom years, for example, it wasn't uncommon for Fannie Mae's AU engine to approve borrowers with a good credit score and a reasonable loan-to-value ratio (LTV) of up to 65 percent debt-to-income. Today, it tops out at 45 percent, even for the most qualified borrowers."

Another contributing factor: Lenders today run a far greater risk of being stuck with a loan they cannot peddle on the secondary market. Consequently, they are adhering much more closely to the rules.

Back then, an AU approval almost guaranteed your loan would be gobbled up by an investor without much risk of it being audited or repurchased. Today, mortgages are scrutinized up and down, even post-closing, and lenders are being required to buy back those loans for relatively minor reasons.

So, to offset that risk, lenders add on various "overlays" over and above the AU engines' rules. Those overlays vary from lender to lender, but Wahl says it is not uncommon for lenders to require minimum credit scores of 640 or even 660, and maximum DTI ratios of no more than 42 percent.

Many of the other underwriting rules haven't changed significantly, either. But again, the regulations inside the AU engine black boxes are tighter, and the willingness of lenders to accept waivers is lower. And that makes obtaining financing more challenging than it has ever been.

According to Credit Sesame, which allows people to shop for mortgages based on pricing, underwriting rules and lender-specific requirements, here is what you can expect today versus what was acceptable in 2006:

-- Bonus/commission income: Seven years ago, AU engines would ordinarily approve borrowers with reduced income documentation, such as a one-year history of commissions and bonuses. Today, two years are required.

-- Investment property: The maximum loan-to-value ratio on investment property has slipped from 85 percent to 80 percent. The change isn't terribly significant. But on top of that, mortgage insurance is no longer available on rental houses, so borrowers are limited to making down payments of at least 20 percent.

-- Cash-out refinance: Similarly, the max LTV ratio for cash-out refis has dipped from 85 percent to 80 percent. And mortgage insurance is no longer available for loans in which the down payment is less than 20 percent.

-- Reserves: In 2006, borrowers were required to have anywhere from zero to six months' worth of PITI (principal, interest, tax and insurance) in cash in reserve. Now, it can be up to 12 months' worth.

-- Gift funds: Gifts from family members or friends were allowed in 2006, even if the LTV was over 80 percent. And the same is true today, except that lenders are much more diligent in making borrowers prove the source of the gift money and that it really was a gift, not a loan.

-- Pay stubs: It used to be that pay stubs were required within 30 days of applying for the loan. Now it is within 30 days of closing.

-- IRS Form 4506T: In 2006, this form, which gives the lender permission to pull your tax returns directly from the Internal Revenue Service, was usually signed at closing but rarely executed. Now, most lenders want the form signed at application, and they use it to confirm your income as stated.

-- W2s: Often, the need to provide W2s as proof of income was waived in '06 if you signed a 4506T. Now, you need to provide two years' worth of this basic income verification tool, as well as a signed 4506T.

-- Employment: Verbal verification of employment used to be necessary within 30 days of closing. Now, such proof is required just before settlement.

"Today, most lenders are much more cautious in making sure no changes to a borrower's employment status have taken place since the initial application," says Wahl. "Most lenders will call employers immediately prior to closing."

Changes in technology now allow would-be borrowers to apply for financing whenever they like -- every day, 24-7. But many, it appears, are doing so during the workday, at a time, perhaps, when they should be working at their jobs rather than handling personal matters.

According to a MortgageMarvel.com analysis of some 650,000 online applications last year, people clicked the "send" button during all hours of the day and night. But activity started to pick up during the 10 a.m. hour (Central time) and didn't start to slow again until after 5 p.m.

If you assume that most people looking for a mortgage are employed, then they are obviously spending a good deal of their workday on their applications. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, says Rick Allen, CEO of the mortgage shopping service. Nor does it correlate that their work is suffering.

"I don't think it's a productivity issue," Allen ventures. "In today's work environment, people know how to balance work and personal matters. It's likely that people are doing regular work outside what we consider to be normal hours."

You might think borrowers would complete their loan applications on the weekend, but only about 15 percent of applications come in on Saturday and Sunday, according to MortgageMarvel. The rest come in during the week, with about 60 percent being submitted between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The most activity is between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m.

Of course, a good deal of the information required hy lenders can't be gathered outside of regular business hours. While some workers are filling out their applications on the sly, savvy employers these days are granting their people a little more latitude in taking care of such personal matters. To compensate, employees are arriving earlier, staying longer and taking work home.

Looking to buy a house for your college student? Maybe a place of his own for your disabled son? Or perhaps a house nearby where your elderly parents can live out their remaining years?

Typically, financing a house in any one of these circumstances can be challenging. And the rules say you'll need as much as 20 percent down and the interest rate will be a half-point higher -- or more.

But Ted Rood, a senior loan consultant with Wintrust Mortgage in St. Louis, says it doesn't necessarily have to be that way.

In researching the underwriting guidelines published by Fannie Mae, the big secondary market investor that sets the rules most lenders follow, Rood found an "obscure" exception that allows certain properties to be classified as owner-occupied even if the borrower doesn't reside in the place.

Fannie's guidelines state that parents wanting to provide housing for their college student children, or for physically handicapped or developmentally disabled adult children, can be considered to be owner-occupants if they meet the other lending program requirements.

Want to reach as many would-be buyers as possible? Price your home in round numbers, says realty broker David Rathgeber of Your Friend in Real Estate in Arlington, Va., and you'll get more exposure.

Since home searches are driven in a range of round numbers, you'll get a lot more eyeballs on your property and perhaps sell more quickly if your prices ends in 000, Rathgeber ventures.

Here's why: If your home is priced at $400,000, it will be found by anyone looking in the $350,000 to $400,000 range, the $375,000 to $825,000 range and the $400,000 to $450,000 range. But if it is priced at $399,000, buyers searching in the latter category will "be oblivious" to the fact that your house is on the market.

The Virginia agent says "almost all agents as well as individual buyers" hunt in round numbers. But if your place can't be priced at an even $100,000 increment, then make sure your asking price ends in three zeros. That, he promises, will give you an edge over your competition.

Wildfires like the one this summer that killed 19 elite firefighters in a blaze near Yarnell, Ariz., can't be stopped. But there's plenty homeowners can do to protect their properties.

If you don't think you should take remedial action, think again. One-third of all houses are located in what fire safety officials call wildland urban districts, which are near or among areas prone to wildfires.

Worse, perhaps, wildfires have ravaged houses in three-fourths of the 50 states. And with more and more people choosing to live in rural areas closer to nature, the chances are greater than ever that someone you know -- maybe even you -- will lose a house to a fire.

Indeed, on most days, a wildfire is burning somewhere in America. Nearly 30,000 fires have burned 2.5 million acres already this year, according to the latest count by the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. And the state with the most fires isn't California, Arizona or another place in the West. It's Georgia.

Fortunately, wildfires are covered by standard homeowner insurance policies. But the best insurance is prevention. Here, gathered from a number of sources, are some steps you can take to protect your house, improve its fire resistance and shield it from indirect exposure:

-- Choose a firewise location. Canyons may offer a beautiful view, but they tend to act as chimneys, drawing the fire and accelerating the speed at which it spreads. A level site is better than a sloped one. A grass fire moves up a slope four times faster with flames twice as high as fire on level ground because hot gases rising in front of the fire preheat the up-slope vegetation.

If you're building new, you can avoid this kind of topography. Also, find out about prevailing winds, seasonal weather conditions and the local fire history, so you can plan your landscape design accordingly.

-- Implement landscape safety zones. Work on your surroundings so the landscape will not bring a fire to your door. Do this by creating three safety zones, the combined extent of which will depend on your property lines and your risk. In high-risk areas, even a zone reaching 200 feet from the house may not be enough.

The first zone should be a well-irrigated area that circles the structure for at least 30 feet on all sides. If your house is on a slope, though, a clearance of between 50 and 100 feet may be necessary, especially on the downhill side of the lot.

Plantings in this area should be limited to carefully spaced indigenous species. Beware of "ladder fuels," or vegetation that serves as a link between the grass and treetops and enables the fire to climb into trees or onto your house.

Trees and shrubs are fine in the first zone, as long as dead or low-hanging branches are removed and the height of ground vegetation is controlled. But the more grass, the better, because a wide lawn can serve as a fuel break just as much as a driveway. Ditto plants with a high moisture content.

Your irrigation system should also reach the second zone, which can contain a limited number of low-growing plants and trees spaced at least 10 feet apart. Dead or dying limbs should be trimmed away, and no live limbs should come within 10 feet of the structure. On trees taller than 18 feet, prune away branches that are less than six feet from the ground.

In zone three, thin selected trees and remove highly flammable vegetation such as dead or dying shrubs and trees.

-- Consider your roof, walls and windows. The landscape zones you construct around your house should keep all but the most ferocious wildfires at bay. But if one does happen to break through this protective zone -- usually from wind-blown embers or firebrands, sometimes more than a mile away -- ignition is most likely to occur on the roof.

Fire officials say eye-catching, untreated wood-shake roofs are the No. 1 cause of home losses in wildland areas because they can catch wind-blown sparks. If local rules allow, a better choice is factory-treated shakes. But consider using such noncombustible or fire-resistant roofing materials as Class A shingles, metal, cement and concrete products, or tile made from slate or terra cotta.

Fire-resistant subroofing also can improve survivability. But don't be fooled into thinking an expensive roof sprinkling system will stop a fire. You need a large volume of water to make a roof safe, yet water pressure is generally at its lowest during a fire. Also, the electricity needed to run the system is likely to fail, and the high winds that usually accompany a wildfire often divert the spray away from the roof.

Walls, too, should be made of fire-resistant materials such as stucco or masonry. Vinyl can soften and melt during a fire, offering little or no protection.

If you're building a new house, minimize the number and size of windows on the downhill side, the side most likely to be exposed to a fire. Smaller windows perform better than larger panes, according to the National Association of Homebuilders Research Center, and double-pane or tempered glass are more effective than single-pane glass. For greater protection, windows, sliding glass doors and skylights should have nonflammable screening shutters.

To prevent sparks from entering your house, screen your chimney with noncombustible wire mesh. Also cover exterior attic and under-floor vents with mire mesh -- plastic or nylon screening will melt -- no larger than an eighth of an inch. Screen under your porch, too, as well as any other areas below the ground line.

Also, locate your under-eave roof vents near the roofline rather than near the wall to prevent heat or flames from becoming trapped inside. For the same reason, the eaves themselves should be boxed or designed with minimal overhang.

Finally, inspect your house occasionally, looking for breaks and spaces between roof tiles, warping wood or cracks and crevices in the structure where fire or sparks could enter.