Shopping online for a home purchase mortgage is a lot like trading stocks on the Internet.

You've got the power, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it.

If you are a first-time home buyer or otherwise lack information about home mortgages, you are better off in the hands of a broker, lender or financial advisor you trust, according to online mortgage experts.

"The only buyer -- the only consumers that I would recommend going online to get the whole process done would be someone who's got a mortgage three or four times. But if this is the first time you're getting a mortgage, you're much better off working with a local company," said Warren Myer, CEO of San Jose, CA-based BestRate.com and author of the "1998-1999 Mortgage Industry Survey".

Among other items, the survey found many consumers still prefer the human touch when it comes to certain aspects of borrowing money to buy a home.

That's because hand holding isn't among the routines programmed into the assembly-line speed and cookie-cutter precision of online mortgage systems.

"For most consumers, e-lenders aren't the best way to go for purchase mortgages," said Scott Cooley, president of Campbell, CA-based Contour Software, an electronic mortgage software maker that claims some 40,000 outstanding licenses.

Cooley, Myers and other online mortgage experts suggest those who venture into the online mortgage maze heed the following tips.