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.
Save enough money to make a down payment. Lenders may accept as little as 3.5% down but try to make a larger down payment. If you put down 20% of your total mortgage, you won’t have to pay private mortgage insurance and your payments will be lower. You will also need cash to pay closing costs, application fees and other expenses.
Prepare for the home mortgage process well in advance. Your finances must be under control when you are house hunting. You should have a healthy savings account and any debt that you have must be manageable. If you take too long, it may be hard to get approval for a mortgage.
Watch out for banks offering a “no cost” mortgage loan. There is really no such thing as “no cost”. The closing costs with “no cost” mortgages is rolled into the mortgage loan instead of being due upfront. This means that you will be paying interest on the closing costs.
Before you actually fill out a mortgage application, you should have all the required documents well in order. You will realize that every lender requires much the same documents when you want a mortgage. Make sure you have items such as W2s, bank statements, income tax returns, and the last two pay stubs. It will be an easier process if you have these documents together.
Reducing your debt as much as possible will increase your chances of being approved for a mortgage. If you are not in a good financial situation, meet with a debt consolidation professional to get out of debt as quickly as possible. You do not need to have a zero balance on your credit cards to get a mortgage but being deeply in debt is definitely a red flag.
Never take out a new loan or use your credit cards while waiting for your home mortgage to be approved. This simple mistake has the potential of keeping you from getting your home loan approved. Make sacrifices, if need be, to avoid charging anything to your credit cards. Also, ensure each payment is received before the due date.
Know the amount you are paying for closing costs, and remember to itemize. Whether you pay closing costs up front or the costs are added to your loan, you need to know how much you are paying. Sometimes you can negotiate with the seller to split some of the closing costs.
Have the necessary documents ready. There are a few documents that you’ll be expected to have when you come in for a home mortgage. You’ll need to provide bank statements, income tax reports, W-2 statements, and at least two pay stubs. Having these at the ready will help make your meetings go much quicker.
Consider hiring a professional to assist you in the process of procuring a new home loan. There is much to learn in this process, and they can help you obtain the best deal you can. They can also help you to get the best terms and watch out for your best interest, rather than the lender’s.
Be sure to compare the different term options that are available for home mortgages. You could choose between a number of options, including 10, 15 and 30 year options. The key is to determine what the final cost of your home will be after each term would be up, and from there whether or not you would be able to afford the mortgage each month for the most affordable option.
Pay off your mortgage sooner by scheduling bi-weekly payments instead of monthly payments. You will end up making several extra payments per year and decrease the amount you pay in interest over the life of the loan. This bi-weekly payment can be automatically deducted from your bank account to make it easy and convenient.
You may be so excited about getting a new home that you go out and start buying all types of furniture. Unless you are paying for the furniture in cash, you need to hold off on this. You don’t want to open any lines of credit or make any large purchases until after your loan is closed.
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.
