Mortgage Prequalification vs Preapproval

As you prepare to apply for a mortgage, you’ll come across terms like “prequalification” and “preapproval.” It’s essential to understand what these terms mean – they’ll guide your home search and help you focus on homes you can afford. When the time comes, they can also help you decide how much to offer and show the seller that you’re a serious buyer.

At the most basic level, prequalification and preapproval are types of mortgage approvals, and they refer to the steps a lender takes to verify that a client can afford a mortgage. In this article, we’ll review some common ways lenders use prequalification and preapproval. But first, a couple points to remember:

• Every lender handles mortgage approvals differently. The steps and words involved change from lender to lender. Many lenders use prequalification and preapproval interchangeably although they’ve meant fundamentally different things traditionally.

• No matter what type of mortgage approval you get, it's not a guarantee that you’ll close the loan. Prequalification or preapproval is a way for a lender to help you and a seller estimate what you can afford. After you find a house and make an offer, the home will still need to be appraised by a third party and inspected for potential repairs before you can close the loan and buy the home.

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What’s A Mortgage Prequalification?

A prequalification generally means that a mortgage lender collects some basic financial information from you to estimate how much house you can afford. Getting confirmation from a lender that you prequalify for a home loan allows you to have a general idea of how much you’ll be approved for when it comes time for closing.

It’s common for a prequalification to rely on self-reported information, instead of verifying by pulling your credit report or reviewing financial documents. This means being prequalified for a mortgage typically leaves you with a ballpark estimate. It also means it’s less reliable than a preapproval, which usually involves your lender checking your credit score and reviewing bank statements and other documents.

As you begin searching for a home, real estate agents and sellers want to see you’ve been working with a mortgage lender so they know you can afford to buy a home. After you’ve been prequalified, you’ll usually receive a “prequalification letter” you can show to an agent or seller as proof you’re working with a lender. This is a good first step, but it typically won’t carry as much weight as a preapproval because a lender hasn’t yet verified your information. Going beyond a prequalification and getting preapproved by a loan officer is a critical step to showing you’re serious about buying a home.

Both prequalification and preapproval provide borrowers with an estimation of how much home they can afford. However, a mortgage preapproval is a more official step that requires the lender to verify your financial information and credit history. Documents required for a preapproval may include pay stubs, tax returns and even your Social Security card.

This means a preapproval is a stronger sign of what you can afford and adds more credibility to your offer than a prequalification. This will also allow you to show sellers a preapproval letter to demonstrate that your financial information has been verified and you can afford a mortgage. However, check with your lender to be sure.

Why Is Getting Approved For A Mortgage Important?

Getting approval for your mortgage means that a lender has reviewed your financial situation and confirmed your ability to take on mortgage payments.

When you get a mortgage approval, your lender estimates how much you can afford to borrow, what your interest rate could be and how much your mortgage payments could be. You and your real estate agent can use this information to focus on homes you can afford.

A mortgage approval also proves to sellers that you can afford the home they’re selling. Without first securing approval from a lender, the seller might not trust your offer is genuine. Your offer might not be accepted – and even if it is, offering to buy a home without lender approval can slow down your mortgage loan application.

Getting Approved: What To Expect

Mortgage Lenders offers a few levels of approval designed to give you a clearer picture of what you can afford:

Preapproval is as close as you can get to confirming your creditworthiness without having a purchase contract in place. You will complete a mortgage application and the lender will verify the information you provide. They’ll also perform a credit check. If you’re preapproved, you’ll receive a preapproval letter, which is an offer (but not a commitment) to lend you a specific amount, good for 90 days. 

Getting preapproved is a smart step to take when you are ready to put in an offer on a home. It shows sellers that you’re a serious homebuyer and that you can secure a mortgage – which makes it more likely that you’ll complete your purchase of the home.

Homebuyer tip:

Expect surprises! Lenders look at every detail of your finances when granting preapproval. You might be asked about a car loan payment you made with a credit card, for example. Be prepared to answer lender questions as soon as they come up.

How long does prequalification or preapproval take?

Aside from their distinct roles in homebuying, prequalification and preapproval can take different amounts of time. Prequalifying at Bank of America is a quick process that can be done online, and you may get results within an hour. For mortgage preapproval, you’ll need to supply more information so the application is likely to take more time. You should receive your preapproval letter within 10 business days after you’ve provided all requested information.

What information do I need to provide?

Which is right for me?

First-time homebuyers are more likely to find that getting prequalified is helpful, especially when they are establishing their homebuying budget and want an idea of how much they might be able to borrow.

Preapproval can be extremely valuable when it comes time to make an offer on a house, especially in a competitive market where you might want to stand out among other potential buyers. Again, a seller will be more likely to consider you a serious buyer because you have had your finances and creditworthiness verified.

Ready to prequalify, get preapproved or apply? Reach out and I can point you in the right direction.

PREQUALIFICATION VS. PRE-APPROVAL COMPARISON

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