Receive Your Mortgage Preapproval Letter
When you get preapproved, you usually get a preapproval letter. There are a few reasons the preapproval letter is important. First, real estate agents typically want to see your preapproval letter before they show you houses. This ensures they dont waste time showing you homes outside your budget.
Second, the preapproval letter is something you can share with the homes seller when you make an offer. It shows you wont have problems getting financed for the amount youre offering.
What Factors Are Considered For Preapproval
In addition to considering your credit score, lenders will want to verify your employment and income. Theyll also be considering your debt-to-income ratio , which is a calculation of your total monthly debts, divided by your monthly income. This ratio, expressed as a percentage, helps lenders make sure you have enough income to reasonably cover your debts.
The exact DTI needed for mortgage approval varies by loan type. But generally speaking, youll want your debt-to-income ratio to be 50% or lower.
When To Get A Preapproval
The best time to get a mortgage preapproval is before you start looking for a home. If you dont, and you find a home you love, itll likely be too late to start the preapproval process if you want a chance to make an offer. As soon as you know youre serious about buying a home that includes getting your finances in home-buying shape you should apply for a preapproval.
If youre following mortgage rates, you can to determine the right time to strike on your mortgage with our daily rate trends.
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And How To Avoid Them
During the Great Recession, the U.S. economy took a major hit because of mortgage foreclosures. Borrowers all over the nation had trouble paying their mortgages. At the time, many borrowers were trying to refinance their mortgages.
Even high-end homeowners were having trouble with foreclosures. Why were so many citizens having trouble with their mortgages? Here are six common mortgage mistakes, even to this day.
Can I Get Mortgage Pre
Its unlikely. Initial qualification without a full credit check may be possible with some lenders at that point, they may be interested simply in whether you have both the income to pay back a mortgage and no credit red flags. But to get full-scale pre-approval will likely require a credit check.
Its important to know how long pre-qualification and pre-approval will be in effect. Different lenders assign different times for which their letters of pre-qualification or pre-approval are good, from 30 to as many as 120 days.
Remember that multiple checks for credit history can negatively affect your credit rating, so you dont want to have them repeated often. For the same reason, you shouldnt apply for it until youre ready to start seriously home shopping. Many lenders and real estate agents can help you get a range of what you can afford in a general sense, so that you can avoid going through the pre-qualification or pre-approval process only to learn that theres nothing in your market that you can realistically afford or want.
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Get Information From A Source You Trust
It’s natural to have questions. Besides the basics such as the interest rate and term, it’s a good idea to ask about other things like prepayment charges if you plan to sell your property or pay down your mortgage loan faster. To ensure that you get accurate, actionable information we recommend seeking answers from a trusted source. TD Mortgage Advisors are well versed in every aspect of the mortgage process and can be an easily accessible source of information.
What Is A Preapproval Letter
Once preapproved, your mortgage lender will issue a preapproval letter. This document indicates the type and amount of loan for which you’re approved, among other things. A preapproval letter indicates to both real estate agents and home sellers that you’re financially able to buy a home, and it’s expected that a preapproval letter will accompany any offer you make.
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Dont Get Preapproved Too Far In Advance
When you receive your preapproval letter, itll probably say its good for 30 to 90 days. Since thats a relatively short period, youll probably want to wait to get preapproval letters until youre ready to start seriously shopping for a home. And remember, a preapproval is only a conditional approval. If you rack up more debt, change jobs or reduce your savings, you could get denied when you go to get final mortgage approval.
How A Mortgage Preapproval Affects Your Credit
The credit check required for a mortgage preapproval is identical to the one performed when you apply for a mortgage. This check is considered a hard inquiry on your credit report, which can temporarily lower your credit score a few points.
If you fill out several applications in the process of shopping for a new loan, credit scoring systems treat the credit checks related to those applications as a single event, as long as you make them within a few weeks of each other. Note that the various FICO® Score models will combine inquiries made within the same 45-day period and treat them as one event the VantageScore® system uses a rolling two-week window that resets each time you make a similar loan application within two weeks of the one that preceded it.
This allows you to shop around for the best possible terms without worrying that each credit inquiry will harm your ability to qualify for a new loan.
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Mortgage Preapproval In Hindsight
Katerina Matsa ultimately closed on her first home purchase in late 2018. Looking back, she only now appreciates the critical financial role that her lender played in the home buying process.
If I could go through the preapproval process again, I would have more thorough conversations with the lender about our mortgage options. I would ask more questions and make sure I fully understand various details. Everything happened so fast. That was the downside of starting the process so late.
Limit Your Debt And Stay Current On Your Bills
Your pre-approval is dependent on several factors, such as your:
- Before getting pre-approved, keep your healthy by making all of your payments on time and keeping your credit card and loan balances low. Keep up these habits throughout the mortgage process.
- Debt: You may also want to pay off debts, if possible, to lower your debt-to-income ratio. A high DTI ratio reduces how much you can borrow on a mortgage, which influences your pre-approval letter.
- Income: Lenders also check your income by looking over your pay stubs, tax returns, and W-2 forms. Try not to change employers or alter your income before getting a pre-approval and during the mortgage process.
- Down payment: If you can afford to put down a large down payment, it shrinks the amount you need to borrow and reduces risk for the lender. This may improve your chances of qualifying for a mortgage and getting good loan terms.
- Employment history: Lenders might not check your employment history during the pre-approval process. Just keep in mind they will eventually call your employer to ask about your employment history and inquire about the likelihood of continued employment.
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Complete A Home Loan Application
To get preapproved, you need to fill out a mortgage loan application. Your lender will usually let you complete your loan application online, over the phone, or in person. Online applications typically take 1020 minutes to complete.
The loan application, also known as Form 1003, asks for your personal information, social security number, financial information, and loan information.
After your application is completed, the lender will pull a threebureau credit report known as a trimerge. This report shows your credit scores and credit history from the major creditreporting agencies: TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.
Note, you can apply and get preapproved with any lender you wish. You can even get preapproved by more than one lender to find the best offer.
Preapprovals are nonbinding, and youre free to switch lenders before taking out the loan.
Understand The Difference Between Pre
A mortgage pre-qualification is often a basic financial evaluation. A TD mortgage pre-approval on the other hand, is in-depth. It includes a more thorough assessment of your finances. It also offers a rate hold of up to 120 days , while a pre-qualification does not. Plus, if you apply for a TD mortgage pre-approval online, it has no impact on your credit score. These benefits make a pre-approval an important part of the mortgage process.
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Provide Proof Of Income And Assets
Youll have to provide the lender with proof of all types of income, including W-2 wage statements from the past two years, as well as recent pay stubs , and other additional income . Youll also need to share your tax returns from the past two years.
Your assets make up your net worth, and let the lender know whether you have the funds for a down payment and closing costs. As part of the preapproval process, youll need to share recent bank, investment, and retirement account statements, as well as cash reserves.
Why Is It Important To Get Pre
Getting pre-approved for a mortgage gives a person bargaining power since they have mortgage financing already lined up and can therefore make an offer to the seller of a home in which they are interested. Otherwise the prospective buyer would have to go out and apply for a mortgage before making an offer and potentially lose the opportunity to bid on a home.
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What Are Some Common Pitfalls To Avoid
One of the most common mistakes that inexperienced buyers make with regards to a pre-approval is to assume that all pre-approvals are the same. Since there is no official definition of a pre-approval, the word sometimes gets used to describe less rigorous processes than the one described above. Some mortgage professionals and bank specialists might do as little as get you to fill out an application and run some initial calculations before telling you that you are pre-approved. While these less robust processes may be quick, simple and easy, it’s important to remember that they don’t guarantee anything and are less reliable than a thorough documentation review.
Another common mistake is to assume that a pre-approval is the same thing as a commitment and that because you have been pre-approved, you don’t need to include a condition of financing in your offer to purchase. This assumption is false and can get you into a lot of trouble if you unconditionally commit yourself to purchase a property only to discover that the property itself doesn’t qualify to be mortgaged even though you were personally pre-approved.
It Gives You Leverage While Negotiating
After the lender has taken a good look at your finances and agreed to the pre-approval, theyll issue you a written commitment that you can show to real estate agents and sellers.
Having your mortgage pre-approval in hand shows people youre a serious and trusted buyer. Its proof you can afford to buy a home. That will give you more negotiating power than buyers without a letter, as their optimistic bids might go up in smoke if they cant secure financing.
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How Do I Get Pre
The first step to getting pre-approved is to choose a trustworthy mortgage professional to work with and get in touch. It’s important to note that there is no official standard for a pre-approval, and sometimes the word get’s used rather loosely, so make sure you work with someone who knows what they are doing. Our pre-approval process looks something like this:
Budget For A Down Payment
The more money you can put down, the lower the interest rate and monthly payments will be. If you put down less than 20% of the homes purchase price, youll have to pay for private mortgage insurance on top of the cost of the home loan.
The type of mortgage you apply for will affect how much of a down payment youll need. For example, for most mortgages, youll need to put down 3% to 20%. But if you qualify for a Federal Housing Administration loan, you can put down just 3.5%.
Credibles monthly mortgage payment calculator makes this easy. Simply enter your loan information below to see how much youll pay monthly and over the life of the loan.
Enter your loan information to calculate how much you could pay
Checking rates won’t affect your credit score
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Everything That A Homebuyer Needs To Get Pre
Bottom Line PersonalConsumer ReportsPrevention
As you search for a home, getting pre-approved for a mortgage can be an important step to take. Consulting with a lender and obtaining a pre-approval letter provides you with the opportunity to discuss loan options and budgeting with the lender this step can serve to clarify your total house-hunting budget and the monthly mortgage payment that you can afford.
As a borrower, its important to know what a mortgage pre-approval does , and how to boost your chances of getting one.
Different Lenders May Request Different Levels Of Information And Documentation
Some lenders base preapproval letters solely on the information you provide. Other lenders dig into the details with you now to make certain you have all the documentation you need and prevent delays and surprises later. Ask questions. All lenders will require documentation at some point if you decide to apply for a loan. Its better to know now that you need an additional document than when youre about to close.
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It Can Alert You To Possible Roadblocks
Before you find your dream home and get all starry-eyed, youll want to ensure you can actually buy the thing. Thats why its so important to get pre-approved before you even start the search.
Lenders want to work with people who will have no problem making their payments. If they see any potential pitfalls, theyll tell you and you can work on resolving them right away.
That could mean disputing errors on your credit report, building your credit score or lightening your debt load to reduce your debt-to-income ratio.
Buying Your First Home
If youve decided to take the plunge, you now need to start by figuring out what you can afford. Fortunately, there are all kinds of calculators and tools available. A great place to start is the freeMy Mortgage Toolbox app which can help you find a mortgage broker in your area. A mortgage broker is a great alternative to traditional banks and can help you find the best rate in the market, as well as save you time by doing the leg work for you!
Regardless of whether you choose a mortgage broker or traditional bank, the first step begins with your down payment.
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Shop Around For A Great Pre
Just as youâll see several homes before settling on âthe oneâ, you should shop around for the best mortgage rate. Donât just go to your local bank branch and expect to receive a great deal. Do your research and compare mortgage rates, or use a mortgage broker who will negotiate on your behalf.
Even half a percentage point can make a huge difference in your regular payments and the amount of interest youâll pay over time. To see what we mean, plug in your numbers into our mortgage payment calculator, then change the interest rate in small steps. Youâll very quickly see what we mean!
What happens after your mortgage pre-approval? Generally, youâll have a 90 to 120 day period where your offered rate will be held for you. This is when you should start house hunting!
Get A Prequalification Or Preapproval Letter
A prequalification or preapproval letter is a document from a lender stating that the lender is tentatively willing to lend to you, up to a certain loan amount.
This document is based on certain assumptions and it is not a guaranteed loan offer. But, it lets the seller know that you are likely to be able to get financing. Sellers frequently require a prequalification or preapproval letter before accepting your offer on a house.
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