Five steps, fully explained.

Know what you can borrow

Before house-hunting, find your real budget. A quick pre-qualification estimates your buying power in minutes. A full pre-approval — income, credit, assets, and liabilities verified — tells sellers you're a serious buyer and sharpens your negotiating position.

What lenders look at

• Debt-to-income: your monthly mortgage payment should generally stay near a third of gross monthly income. Higher ratios usually mean a larger down payment.
• Credit score: payment history, balances, age of credit, and recent inquiries all feed your FICO score, and repeated hard inquiries work against you.
• Self-employment: plan on two years of tax returns in place of pay stubs. More paperwork, same outcome.
• Down payment source: savings is standard; gift funds work too, with a signed letter from the donor confirming no repayment is expected.

Choose your loan type

Most loans are one of two shapes, and the right one depends on your plans, not the market's mood.

• Fixed rate (15 or 30 years): the rate and payment never change. Choose it if you'll stay 7+ years, want a payment you can set a watch to, and would rather sleep than gamble on rates.
• Adjustable rate (ARM): the rate moves with the market after an initial period. Choose it if you'll likely move within about five years and can absorb a payment that changes.

There are more exotic shapes too, like interest-only and graduated payments, and we'll tell you honestly when they fit and when they don't. See all loan programs.

Apply

The application itself takes minutes online, and we prepare your file so it enters underwriting clean. Start your application (opens our secure application portal in a new tab) whenever you're ready — or talk to us first and we'll walk through it together.

Processing & underwriting

Approval rests on two questions: can you comfortably repay, and does the property support the loan? A processor verifies your income and employment, reviews credit history, confirms funds for the down payment and closing costs, and orders an appraisal of the property's market value.

Keep your loan on rails

• Fill out the application completely; gaps cause delays.
• Respond quickly to document requests, especially if your rate is locked.
• Don't move money between accounts without a paper trail.
• Hold off on major purchases; new debt changes your approval math.
• Stay reachable near closing, or set up a power of attorney if you must travel.

Closing day

You'll review and sign the final documents before a notary — confirm the rate, the terms, and that your name and address are exactly right. Bring a cashier's check for your down payment and closing costs (personal checks are usually declined), plus proof of homeowner's insurance — and flood insurance where required.

Most loans fund shortly after signing. One exception: refinances of owner-occupied homes have a federally required three-day review period before the loan closes. Then — keys.