Qualifying for a Mortgage: Part 2 - Terms, Paperwork, and More

Before you start shopping for a loan and a home, you need to know some terms you will encounter.

Pre-qualification. Getting pre-qualified for a loan is a good thing, but it is NOT a guarantee that you will actually get the loan. To get pre-qualified, you will speak to a lender and go over the standard questions: your income (and DTI), your credit rating, and the size of your down payment. Pre-qualifying lets you determine exactly how much you'll be able to borrow and how much you'll need for a down payment and closing costs. Still, the lender is not asking to see the proof of your income claims, so any 'approval' you receive you can vanish into thin air.

Pre-approval. If you are serious about moving forward, it is recommended to get pre-approved for a specific loan amount. To get pre-approved, the lender will actually verify your credit and income documents, rather than relying on the numbers you provide them about your income and debts.

Required Mortgage Qualification Documents and More

The documents that you will need to assemble for the lender to get your pre-approval are: Federal Income Tax Returns and W-2 forms for the past two years; the two most recent months' pay stubs with your name and year-to-date earnings; proof of any other income you claim on your application, such as alimony, pensions or Social Security income; a list of all your creditors that shows the total balances due and the minimum required monthly payments, and proof of all assets, such as savings, stocks and bonds, or any other real estate owned.

Funds to be used for a down payment likely need to be in your account for two months before you can use them, IF they are coming from someone else, like your parents. Just having the funds in your account is NOT enough. Lenders will demand that any funds used to satisfy down payment and closing costs must come from your own resources. Funds must be ‘seasoned’ in your possession for at least two to three months. You can prove the funds are 'seasoned' by supplying two to three months of bank statements or documentation demonstrating that funds have been in your possession.

Almost every lender is going to ask to see the credit reports supplied by the three main credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. The credit report will show your financial history, showing the different transactions you have made, as well as providing your credit risk score. This score is known as the FICO score, named after Fair, Isaac, & Company, who developed many of the computer scoring models. It can be almost impossible to fully understand why your FICO scores is what it is, but key factors that are weighed in determining your score are: How timely you have paid your bills, how much debt you are carrying, how much of your available credit you are using (the size of the balance compared to the size of the credit line), how many credit cards and loans you have open, how many people have looked at your credit report recently, and if there is any negative information about in the public record area of your report. This area is where a judgment against you would appear as well as items like tax liens filed by the State or Federal Government.

The higher your credit score, the easier it will be for you to qualify for a loan. If you routinely pay your bills late, you will have a lower score, in which case a lender may either reject your loan application altogether or insist on a very large down payment or high interest rate. Because your credit history has such an important effect on the type and amount of mortgage loan you'll be offered, make sure that you check your report regularly. If you find it necessary to clean up your report, you will want to do so before you apply for a mortgage. Almost every lender is going to ask to see the credit reports supplied by the three main credit bureaus reporting your file: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The credit report will show a history of your financial transactions as well as providing your credit risk score. This score is known as the FICO score, named after Fair, Isaac & Company, who developed many of the

computer scoring models. It can be almost impossible to fully understand why your FICO score is what it is, but key factors being weighed in the scoring are: How timely you have paid your bills, how much debt you are carrying, how much of your available credit you are using (the size of the balance compared to the size of the credit line), how many credit cards and loans you have open, how many people have looked at your credit report recently, and if there is any negative information about in the public record area of your report.

At the end of the day, if your mortgage and home fit into a well thought out financial game-plan, home ownership can be one of the most rewarding investments in your portfolio. Be sure to consider all of the issues, and make sure you get the right loan for your needs.

This concludes Part 2 of Qualifying for a Mortgage. If you missed Part 1 of this two-part article, click on the link below.

Qualifying for a Mortgage: Part 1 – The Basics