There are more than enough details involved in getting a mortgage and moving into your own home that you’ll want to know how to make the process as seamless as possible beforehand. However, there’s a chance you might not be aware of the things you can do to make it a little easier on yourself. If you’re currently looking for a home and are wondering how to streamline the approval process, here are some things to do before applying to minimize mortgage-related stress.

Get Electronic Documentation

In order to get approved for your mortgage application, you’ll need to provide documentation that will likely include bank statements, federal tax returns and recent paystubs, but providing or acquiring all of these documents in paper form can require a lot of drudgery. Instead of paper, get your documentation together and ensure it’s in electronic form so it can be easily accessed or sent from anywhere. This means you’ll have it on hand as soon as it’s needed.

Choose A House You Can Afford

As a potential homebuyer on the market, it’s easy to be swayed by your dream home, but if your dream home doesn’t come with an acceptable price tag, it’s important to move on to the next best opportunity. It can be very easy to be invested enough in a particular home that you can convince yourself you’ll budget for it, but the market can shift and this can push your monthly payment from difficult to not-doable. Choosing a home at an affordable cost will not only improve your chances of approval, it will also minimize your stress after the move-in date.

Have Your Down Payment Ready

It may be all well and good to know that your down payment money is in the bank, but it’s important that it’s in the appropriate account at least 3 months prior to your application submission so you can ensure you’ll be seen as financially sound. While it’s great to have money held in investments and RRSPs, it’s important that this down payment money is kept in an easily accessible account where it can be withdrawn without any time delays or financial losses.

There are many different steps and small details associated with obtaining a mortgage, but by having your electronic documentation and down payment ready, you’ll be well on your way to an approval. If you’re currently on the market for a home, contact your trusted mortgage professional for more information.

A mortgage broker can be a helpful tool in finding the right opportunity for you, but it can be tempting to deal with mortgage apps that may be able to consolidate all the information you need in one place. While many modern apps can be quite convenient, there are a few reasons you may want to use a knowledgeable mortgage professional to ensure the credibility of your most important purchase.

Up-To-Date On Credible Lenders

A mortgage app can certainly provide many mortgage insights, but it’s not necessarily an able replacement for a broker who has dealt with many different lenders and knows the ins and outs. While an app can point you in the right direction, a broker will be able to keep you informed of all the little details.

Access To Better Rates

There are no guarantees that working with a broker will get you a better deal, but because brokers work in conjunction with a variety of different lenders, they can often get lower rates or special deals which you may not be able to find on your own.

Saving On Fees

In addition to assisting you with finding the best rates, a broker may also be able to minimize fees like the application and/or appraisal fees so that you can knock some of the costs off your mortgage. Since brokers have an established relationship with lenders, this is something you can use to your advantage.

All The Available Options

It can be overwhelming to go through all of the available lenders, and even a detailed app may not be able to provide this information. However, instead of the most popular current options, a mortgage broker will have lending information available from all kinds of institutions so you can choose what will work best.

Making The Process Run Smooth

An app may seem like a time-saver with all the information at your fingertips, but having a broker to look through things for you can provide a lot of comfort and clarity. While you do have the option of diving in on your own, having an expert to help you over the hurdles can go a long way.

There are so many apps out there that can make life a lot easier, but mortgage apps may not be the place to start when it comes to your mortgage process. If you’re currently considering your options, contact your trusted mortgage professional for more information.

There are few things more exciting than finding your ideal home, but with the rising cost of housing, a person’s dream home can often come with a very high purchase price. If you’re wondering how much home you can truly afford and how your cost of living will fare for your mortgage approval, here are some of the details on what you can expect when it comes to finding a home at an affordable price.

What Is Your Debt-to-Income Ratio?

Before deciding if a home is right for you, it’s important to calculate what your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is to determine how much house you can afford. The debt amount will include any credit cards, existing mortgages and other loan payments that you pay down each month. To determine your maximum monthly payment, multiply your gross income by 0.36 and divide it by 12. This will give you the expenditure of debt, including your housing payment, that you should not exceed each month.

Determining Your Down Payment

There’s a lot of talk around the ideal amount you should put forward for a down payment, but this percentage can directly impact the amount of the house you can afford. If you are able to put down 20% of the purchase price of your home, this means your monthly mortgage payments will be minimized and this will decrease your DTI ratio. While a home may be out of your reach if you can only put 10 or 15% down, 20% down will ensure a higher amount of disposable income on a monthly basis, making your application more feasible.

Determine Your Lifestyle

While a lender may not reject your application outright if your debt-to-income ratio is higher than suggested, it’s important to know what kind of spending choices make sense for you so that you can make your monthly payments. If you have limited expenses above your mortgage and enjoy a Spartan lifestyle, it’s entirely possible that you’ll be able to manage a higher monthly amount. However, if you don’t have stable employment and are struggling each month, it may be a good idea to consider a less expensive property.

The monthly mortgage payment for your dream home may look like it’s manageable on the surface, but if your DTI ratio exceeds what is suggested, there may be issues with acceptance of your application. If you’re currently in the market for a new home, contact your local mortgage professionals for more information.