Get Preapproved Today

You'll be Shopping for Homes Within Hours

Whenever we talk to buyers, we always recommend that they get pre-approved financing before they go shopping. There are many great reasons to do this. Here are just a few:

• You'll know how much home a lender will let you buy.
  To be sure, maybe you'll need to wait a little while to afford what you want, but over the years we we've worked with even more buyers for whom the opposite was true -- they were surprised at how many programs there are to put home ownership in reach for them. Indeed, we always recommend that you consider how much you want to spend as a separate issue from what the lender is willing to lend.
• You'll have a solid estimate of what your payment will be.
  Having a loan preapproval means your lender can estimate with relative precision what your payment will be. Of course, your exact payment will be based on what the interest rates are doing the day you lock your loan, but you can get a very close idea based on the program you choose and your credit history.
• You'll know what areas to be looking in.
  This is perhaps an obvious point to some, but you might be surprised at how many buyers overlook this. In real estate, price and location go hand in hand. Depending on what you find out from the lender you might add a great neighborhood that you hadn't considered before or set your sites on something a bit more economical.
• You'll be ready (and have an edge) when it's time to write an offer.
  In today's market, the best bargains go to two groups of people: 1) Cash buyers and 2) Preapproved buyers. Either way, the bank we'll likely be negotiating with for your short sale or foreclosure property are going to want to see proof that you can perform. This means bank pre-approval that's based on a credit check and verification of employment and income. The days of getting an offer accepted based on some half-baked "prequalification letter" are pretty much behind us.

When you're ready to go shopping, make sure your decisions aren't based on emotions, and you have all the facts about rates and pricing up front. Arm yourself with a preapproval before you get in the car, and you'll be in the best position to secure the best pricing you can. You can get started right away by filling out the form on the right. We'll send your information to only one of our preferred lenders, so you won't be bombarded with calls. The process is free, easy, and you're under no obligation to use the lender you talk to. But given the value of having a loan preapproval in advance, we want every buyer to have the opportunity to take advantage of this. (Incidentally, referral fees between settlement providers are illegal -- so our only interest in this is having the opportunity to work with an educated and ready consumer).