"How can I send you the information that you asked for" is a question I am asked often by borrowers. While most borrowers have a scanner available to them at home or work, not all borrowers have access to one. Almost everyone has a smartphone and there are countless scanning apps available for both iPhone and Android users. These allow users to take a picture of the document and forward that to their loan officer by email.
My favorite program is Scannable (it is only available for the iPhone). It is just so simple to use and it is free! Just open the app, aim the camera at your document! Scannable recognizes what it is scanning and creates a PDF of the document. If you have more than one page to scan just move the camera to the next page before sending your document. Stone simple!
Some helpful hints I've learned along the way for successful smartphone scanning.
- Find a well lit area away from direct light.
- Find a dark background. The app has a easier time figuring out what is document and what is background that way.
- Hold the camera steady and try to let the document fill as much of the window as possible.
- If you are taking a picture of your ID, skip Scannable and use the camera app.
- Avoid glare from lights or flash.
I'm an iPhone guy, so my personal experience is with Scannable. Friends who have Andoid phones say they are fans of an app called CamScanner. CamScanner has similar features to Scannable. If you want to try other apps be careful of ones that leave a watermark in the image. The watermark can obscure part of the document you are scanning. The underwriter will ask for a clear scan without the watermark.
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