The first thing you have to do is to get a Preapproval from a Loan Officer!! Getting preapproved for a mortgage is not the same thing as being “pre-qualified.” Pre-qualification is an initial screening that lenders typically offer home shoppers. It’s a cursory process: Prospective lenders ask about your debts, assets and income, and quote you a rate that you’d probably get if your answers turn out to be accurate.

Preapproval, however, requires you to complete an official mortgage application. You let a lender pull your credit score and check deeply into your financials. You’ll learn exactly how much you can borrow and roughly what your interest rate will be.

With a preapproval, you’ll get a letter from the lender saying that you’ve been approved for a mortgage up to a certain amount. When you make an offer on a home, this letter gives you an edge over buyers who have not yet applied for financing.

Fonte: Money Talks News