Mortgage Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval: What's The Difference?
By Bill Wehr
Your realtor will want you to talk with a mortgage company as soon as possible. The reason is that the realtor needs to know the top price range you can afford and housing expense you are comfortable with. It also helps your realtor when presenting an offer to the seller's agent to show that you have taken steps to approval. It may very well help persuade the seller to accept your offer. In many housing markets the pre-qualification or pre-approval letter is accepted as part of the purchase presentation to the seller's agent.
When you are speaking with a loan officer to be pre-qualified you are giving information about your financial condition. The loan officer will also ask questions regarding your credit. There may even be a credit bureau drawn to see where you stand. Then the loan officer will give you an opinion of how much you can afford based on the information you have told that person. This is not a commitment to make the loan! You should be given a letter that states the pre-qualified mortgage amount and type of loan. It should state further that loan approval could be issued after the information you gave is verified & formally underwritten.
When you receive a pre-approval it has more weight than a pre-qualification. The pre-approval letter will give the maximum loan amount with the specific details of the total mortgage. It should have only conditions such as clear title report, underwritten appraisal, general closing conditions and no negative change in your status as a buyer.
If you are serious about buying a home, and you are satisfied with the mortgage company, you should get as solid a pre-approval as you can. You don't want any surprises along the way.
About the author:
Bill Wehr has been in home loan origination for over 25 years. He is the owner of Great Pacific Northwest Mortgage http://www.billwehr.com , a residential mortgage company serving Oregon and Washington.
Visit our BLOG to see Questions and Answers from other users about your finances.
The latest information and news on Mortgages:
Former Rock pitchman launches mortgage company of his own (Detroit Free Press)
Best known for years as the pitchman of Rock Financial before a falling-out with his boss, Dan Gilbert, David Hall has launched a mortgage company in Birmingham called Hall Financial.
U.S. indicts Md. man in mortgage fraud (UPI)
GREENBELT, Md., March 9 (UPI) -- Authorities Tuesday arrested a Maryland man in what the Department of Justice called a massive mortgage fraud scheme that left victims homeless.
Mortgage 'Half' Payments: How Much Do They Save? (The Christian Science Monitor)
One frequent question I?m often asked is whether or not paying half of a mortgage payment twice a month versus paying a full mortgage payment once a month is actually worthwhile.
Fannie Mae Mortgage-Bond Spreads Fall to Record: Credit Markets (Bloomberg)
March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Yields on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage securities that guide U.S. home-loan rates fell to the lowest relative to Treasuries on record, even as the scheduled end of Federal Reserve purchases approaches.
TCW Returns to Mortgage Bonds It Was Selling After Prices Fall (Bloomberg)
March 9 (Bloomberg) -- TCW Group Inc., the fund manager whose staff was shaken up as it fired its chief investment officer in December, has become a buyer of the types of government-backed mortgage securities it was rushing to sell early this year.
Yahoo! News Search Results for refinance
New Article on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac HARP Mortgage Refinance Program Availa...
In a new article, AimLoan.com explains why Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?s program to refinance underwater homeowners should be expanded, as lowered mortgage rates are key to economic recovery. (PRWeb Mar 9, 2010) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/03/prweb3690424.htm
New Article on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac HARP Mortgage Refinance Program Availa...
In a new article, AimLoan.com explains why Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?s program to refinance underwater homeowners should be expanded, as lowered mortgage rates are key to economic recovery.
Bankruptcy haunts mortgage refinance (Bankrate.com via Yahoo! Finance)
Good credit scores aren't helping a couple overcome an old bankruptcy.
D.C. Looks to Capitalize on Low Yields With $700 Million Sale (Bloomberg)
Washington will use proceeds from the sale to refinance current fixed- and variable-rate general obligation bonds, which have lower ratings, and reduce the district?s amount of adjustable-rate debt.
Bankruptcy haunts mortgage refinance (Bankrate.com)
Dear Dr. Don, We have about 60 percent equity in our home. We both have credit scores above 700 and both have good incomes.
