Whats the Difference Between Prequalification and Preapproval
Prequalification and Preapproval
In many cases, you'll want to know how much mortgage you can get before you look at homes so you won't waste time drooling over places that you can't afford. Your potential lender can either prequalify you or preapprove you for a mortgage.
Lenders use several standard ratios to determine how much mortgage you're eligible for. Generally, if you're applying for a conventional mortgage, your monthly housing expenses (mortgage principal and interest, real estate taxes, and homeowners insurance) should not exceed 28 percent of your gross monthly income. In addition, your total long-term debt (monthly housing expenses plus other debt payments that won't be repaid within a year) should be no more than 36 percent of your gross monthly income. Government mortgage programs, such as FHA and VA mortgages, have higher qualifying ratios.
Keep in mind that qualifying ratios vary among lenders, and you may still qualify for a mortgage even if you exceed the ratios listed above. For example, some lenders will allow higher ratios if you have excellent credit, a large down payment, or substantial savings, or meet other conditions.
Prequalifying for a mortgage is simply a matter of a lender crunching these numbers to tell you how large a mortgage you'll qualify for based on those ratios. Remember, what you qualify for may not be what you can afford--only you can determine that after examining your own budget and lifestyle. Because the lender has not verified your income or examined your credit report, prequalification promises you nothing; it simply tells you how much mortgage you might get.
Preapproval, however, means that the lender has checked out your income and credit. You'll get a letter of commitment stating that you'll be given a mortgage up to a certain amount. Preapproval lets you know exactly how large a mortgage you can get. In addition, it gives you more credibility as a buyer, since a seller can see in the lender's letter that you're going to get the mortgage if he or she accepts your purchase offer.
Comments(0)