Isn’t it fun getting a mortgage pre-approval?

You get your credit pulled by the nice guy in a tie at the bank. You tell him about all the glorious money you have to put down on your home. You drink coffee and explain how you make a clean salary, and you hardly ever use your credit cards…

Of course he is happy to print off your crisp, clean pre-approval letter. He connects you with the local real estate genius, and the house hunting begins.

All of the sudden your dog gets sick and you have to pay $900 to keep it alive. “Well sorry ole’ Sparky but I can’t dip into the family savings, let’s use the AMEX to keep the ticker ticking.”

A week later you finally sell your BMX racing bike on craigslist and you’re feeling good with a nice $1,500 deposit into the rainy day fund.

Jimmy from high school gives you a ring and asks you to be a partner in his new business venture, and you accept the offer. C’mon, YOLO.

There was a sweet deal going on at Buy Here, Pay Here, and you finally got the Bronco 4×4 you’ve always wanted.

Uh oh, why is my mortgage guy asking for a paper trail for this stuff? Any why has my credit score tanked? This new business is gonna kill it. What, do they want a blood sample too?

• Don’t use your credit cards past 30% of you available balance. It’ll change your scores in a way you and your lender won’t like. Sometimes (depending on how long it takes to find a house) your credit may need to be pulled again.
• No large deposits in your bank account that can’t be easily sourced. (anything other than salary income). Large deposits raise red flags and need to be sourced. What the lender wants to know: “where did it come from?”  “do you have mysterious liabilities we don’t know about that you’re paying back?”
• Don’t change jobs. Can that wait while you make one of the biggest investments of your life? Consistent income helps strengthen the likelihood of your file being approved.
• Stop buying stuff. When your lender pulls your credit they are taking into account all of your liabilities, and taking into account what your income is in order to calculate what you’re approved for. If your liabilities increase, there is a chance your pre-approval will decrease. Make sure to ask how tight your ratios are.

Remember, the lender is on your side (believe it or not). We WANT to earn your business. But if you decide to change your financial circumstances after you get pre-approved for a mortgage, just understand that there is going to be some leg work involved to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

E005: 4 Things to STOP After Pre Approval

Tip of the day: When you get pre-approved, provide all your stuff up-front. Tax returns, W-2s, pay stubs, bank statements. This will minimize room for error or misunderstanding.

Need a mortgage pre-approval?

I invite you to reach out to me.

Get the pre-approval you’re looking for from me. You won’t be talking with some newbie. You’ll be talking directly with me, Adam Lesner. If it turns out I can’t help, I’ll usually be able to point you in the right direction at the very least.

What “crazy” item did your lender ask you for that seemed absolutely ridiculous?

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