First Get “Preapproved”
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009WHEN BUYING A HOME~ you will begin with the preapproval letter from a lender.
A preapproval is when a loan officer speaks to you and pulls your credit report and asks you questions about your employment and your salary. He is assuming that everything will match with documentation at a later date. You do not have to have a final approval before you put an “offer” on a home. You will have a specified amount of days in the contract to get a complete approval. You will receive a letter stating that you have a preapproval based on the information given. To choose a loan officer you need someone that is easy to contact and calls you back in a timely manner. I prefer local mortgage companies as opposed to looking on the internet. Beware of the papers and low interest rates that change at closing. Sometimes they will make it sound like a “good deal” but in reality they are getting paid more in fees. If you are buying a new home the builder usually has a mortgage company and will give extra incentives to use their mortgage company. I have never had any problems using a builders mortgage company. It is important to use a realtor when buying a new home. An agent will be able to make sure their are no hidden fees.
When you are preapproved by the lender then you can start looking for a home. Homeowners do not want unqualified people looking at their home. You will have more leverage in negotiating over someone that is not preapproved. A good home will often have multiple offers. Usually the foreclosures require a letter of approval to accompany the offer to the bank.
HERE IS WHAT THE LENDER WILL ASK FOR:
- Keep your last 3 months paycheck stubs
- Find your past 2 years W2 forms from the IRS.
- Then you will need all of your bank statements for 3 months.
- Remember do not make any major purchases or job changes.
- When you get preapproved get a letter for your realtor. Your ready to go look at houses! You can look online and make sure you communicate with your realtor to save time and frustration.
OTHER INFORMATION MAY BE REQUIRED DEPENDING ON YOUR CREDIT AND CIRCUMSTANCES.











