Determining how much house you can afford involves plenty of number crunching. Jorge and Alisa Aragon explain two stages on the road to mortgage approval – As seen in REW.ca
Q: What is the difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval for a mortgage?
A: Pre-qualification is a relatively simple process where the mortgage broker or bank estimates both your borrowing power and the maximum amount of mortgage you can carry. This is done by providing information about your financial situation, such as your income, assets and debts. This easy and quick step doesn’t take into account your creditworthiness or involve a thorough analysis of your financial situation. It’s simply a place to start to estimate the price range of homes that you could qualify for.
As mortgage experts, we do this during our initial meeting to give you a rough idea how much you will be able to qualify for. Pre-approval is a more in-depth analysis of your financial situation, as you will complete an application and provide consent for the lender to obtain your credit report. At this point, the lender has more detailed information on your income, assets and liabilities, and your information has been checked and verified. Your credit report has been pulled to learn about your credit score, history and credit worthiness. Based on this information, the lender will issue a pre-approval letter letting you know what you are likely to be approved for a mortgage and the amount you may be approved for.
The pre-approvals can also guarantee current mortgage rates for up to 120 days. It is important to acknowledge that you are not guaranteed to get a mortgage if you are pre-qualified or pre-approved. Many things can happen during the process, and some lenders may give a pre-approval letter without actually verifying your information. Talk to a mortgage expert to get the pre-qualification/pre-approval process started and get you on the road to homeownership.