Each day lots of people apply for a home mortgage only to find themselves getting turned down. Why is that the case? What did these people do that caused their application to get denied? If you are wondering what it takes to get approved for a home mortgage, keep reading to get educated so you aren’t someone who gets denied.
Before getting a mortgage, study your credit history. Good credit is what can help you get a mortgage. Obtain copies of your credit history and scores from the three major credit-reporting bureaus. Study your reports carefully to ensure that no issues or errors must be resolved before you apply. Many lenders need a minimum score of 680, which complies with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae’s guidelines. Most lenders want to avoid scores that are lower than 620.
Organize your financial life before going after a home mortgage. If your paperwork is all over the place and confusing, then you’ll just make the entire mortgage process that much longer. Do yourself and your lender a favor and put your financial papers in order prior to making any appointments.
Know how much you can afford to put towards your home mortgage. Do not rely on the lender to tell you the amount you qualify for, causing you to borrow the maximum amount. Try planning your budget and leaving some room for unexpected expenses. This is usually the case when you buy a home. You can use banking calculators to determine how much you can afford on a home and provide an estimate of the monthly mortgage payments.
Know your credit score before going in to get a mortgage. Your potential lender will do their own homework on this, but you should arm yourself with the intel as well. Knowledge is power in terms of the negotiations to follow. If you aren’t clear on your strengths and weaknesses, then a lender can more easily use the knowledge against you.
Your lender may reject your mortgage application if your financial picture changes. Make sure you have stable employment before applying for a mortgage. Wait until after the mortgage is approved to switch jobs if that’s what you want to do.
Prepare your paperwork before applying for a mortgage. There are many items that a lender will require. These items include the last two or three years worth of tax returns, copies of each of your monthly credit card statements and installment loans. Three months bank statements and two months worth of pay stubs are also needed for approval.
Make sure your credit is good if you are planning to apply for a mortgage. Lenders will study your personal credit history to make sure that you’re reliable. If your credit is not good, work on repairing it before applying for a loan.
A fixed-interest mortgage loan is almost always the best choice for new homeowners. Although most of your payments during the first few years will be heavily applied to the interest, your mortgage payment will remain the same for the life of the loan. Once you have earned equity, you may be able to refinance your loan at a lower interest rate.
If you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, you may qualify for a VA morgtage loan. These loans are available to qualified veterens. The advantage of these loans is an easier approval process and a lower than average interest rate. The application process for these loans is not often complicated.
Be attentive to interest rates. Although interest rates have no bearing on the acceptance of a loan, it does affect the amount of money you will pay back. Of course, a higher interest rate means you pay more, but you should understand how even a one point difference can mean thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Do not sign your mortgage loan documents until you understand exactly what your interest expense will be.
Choose your mortgage lender many months in advance to your actual home buy. Buying a home is a stressful thing. There are a lot of moving pieces. If you already know who your mortgage lender will be, that’s one less thing to worry about once you’ve found the home of your dreams.
Consider having an escrow account tied to your loan. By including your property taxes and homeowners insurance into your loan, you can avoid large lump sum payments yearly. Including these two items in your mortgage will slightly raise the monthly payment; however, most people can afford this more than making a yearly tax and insurance payment.
People go in search of their dream home every day, unfortunately it end when they get denied when trying for a mortgage. You don’t have to be that person, now that you read excellent tips on how to get approved for a home mortgage. These simple tips should be followed so the next time you apply, there is no reason that the lender will reject your application.
