1. Brush up on mortgage lender requirements
Why it’s important: You’ll learn if you have what it takes to qualify for a home loan.
Housing markets are as competitive as ever right now, and getting approved for a mortgage is suddenly a much harder task. More and more lenders are choosing to only issue mortgages to borrowers with stellar credit histories.
Whether you’re applying for a conventional, FHA, VA, or USDA loan, the minimum qualifications will fall somewhere in the ranges below — but you’ll want to make sure you’re well above them to boost your chances at qualifying.
- Min. down payment: 0% to 3.5%
- Income: 12 to 24 months of steady, ongoing income
- Credit score: At least 620 for most loans, but sometimes lower
- Max Debt-to-income ratio: 36% to 50%
If you don’t meet these requirements yet, start taking steps to save more, pay down debt, stabilize or increase your income, and improve your credit score.
2. Establish your homebuying budget
Why it’s important: You’ll know what you can afford before you set your heart on a particular home or location.
Opinions differ on whether it’s smarter to stretch your budget for the better home or compromise to leave yourself more financial breathing room. Think about your personal risk tolerance and safety net when making this decision.
A mortgage is a substantial commitment, so you’ll want to consider not just what payment you can afford today, but what payment you may be able to afford in the future. Consider the large expenses associated with maintaining a home and shifts in your personal life that might eat into your budget.
- Potential home expenses: A new roof, a new HVAC system, a new coat of exterior paint, or other home improvements.
- Potential personal expenses: Childcare, care for elderly parents, changing jobs, and personal health issues.
Sit down and create short- and long-term budgets to evaluate whether you can handle the housing payment you want to take on, including principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance. Credible’s online pre-approval tool can also help you figure out how much you can afford and what your monthly payment would be.
3. Compare offers from multiple lenders
Why it’s important: Getting multiple offers can save you thousands of dollars.
Small differences in interest rates can add up to thousands of dollars in interest over the life of a loan. And with thousands of mortgage lenders in the United States, there’s no excuse not to shop around.
A lower interest rate also increases your buying power. Shopping around, then, can mean the difference between affording your dream home or losing a bidding war. See how much a 1% difference can make.
Credible can help with this process. You can securely submit your application details to several lenders at once to save time and find a better deal.
4. Get pre-approved
Why it’s important: It shows sellers your purchase offer is likely to close.
For sellers, accepting an offer means taking their home off the market. If your offer falls through, the seller has to go through the process of listing, showing, and evaluating offers all over again. The delay may affect their moving plans and cost them money.
These hassles are largely preventable when you show you’re serious by submitting a pre-approval letter from your lender along with your purchase offer.
That said, a deal can still fall through if the property doesn’t appraise high enough, if the home inspection reveals major problems, or if you lose your job, get seriously ill, or make a financial mistake that turns your approval into a rejection.
5. Tour properties safely
Why it’s important: You don’t want to catch or transmit COVID-19.
Touring homes in person is safer now than it was at the beginning of the pandemic. We understand how the virus spreads and what precautions to take. Some people also have bolstered immunity against the virus thanks to vaccines and natural antibodies.
Still, you can save time, respect sellers’ and agents’ time and COVID boundaries, and keep yourself and others safe, by doing virtual tours of properties first and limiting in-person home tours to the most promising options.
6. Avoid falling into a bidding war
Why it’s important: Exceeding your homebuying budget can add unnecessary stress to your life for years to come.
In a highly competitive market, you can avoid a bidding war by making your highest and best offer right away. If someone beats you with a better offer, you’ll know you could not have done any better.
Keep sight of your long-term goals during the home shopping process. Remember that you want to have money every month to do other things besides pay the mortgage. You don’t want your housing payment to take up all your disposable income.
Also, avoid the temptation to make a more competitive purchase offer by waiving inspection, appraisal, or financing contingencies. If anything goes wrong and you have to back out, you’ll lose your earnest money deposit.
7. Be realistic about closing timelines
Why it’s important: Closing late can be costly.
The average time to close a purchase loan in February was 53 days, according to ICE Mortgage Technology. Ask your lender how long its home closing process takes. That way you don’t lose money by promising a home seller you can close on a shorter deadline than is realistic.
Also, make sure your mortgage rate lock will be long enough to get you to closing. If your rate lock expires and rates increase, the new, higher payment might mean you no longer qualify for a mortgage.
8. Get ready for a remote closing
Why it’s important: It’s safer and more convenient than an in-person closing.
In-person closing has become less common since the pandemic began. If your lender offers remote closing, you may need a webcam on your computer or phone to complete the process. A notary can verify your identity and witness your signature in states that allow remote online notarization via video call.
Even if you will not be finalizing your loan this way, you may receive all your closing documents electronically and sign most of them online. Ask your lender to send these documents along with your closing disclosure so that you have three days to carefully review everything, ask questions, and can make any necessary corrections before your closing date.