There are multiple advantages when shopping for a home with a preapproval letter in hand. In fact, it’s almost standard practice, especially in areas where it’s a seller’s market and the seller has the upper hand during negotiations as homes are selling relatively quickly and for a higher price.
Multiple offers in areas where real estate is on the move is common, and sellers review offers for list price or even offers above what the seller is asking. That means a buyer needs every advantage when making an offer when home sales are brisk, and having a preapproval letter is one of those advantages. Other than making an all-cash offer, the preapproval just might be the best one. What exactly is a preapproval and what does it provide?
A preapproval is a particular status of a loan application. A pre-approval is signified by a letter composed by a loan officer on a lender’s letterhead. A preapproval means the borrowers have provided third-party documentation of certain elements in a loan file. A pre-approval means all that’s needed to get the loan to the settlement table is a property address and acceptable appraisal. When a loan officer issues a preapproval letter it’s after the loan application has been reviewed, the credit report has been ordered and approved and the borrowers meet the minimum credit score requirements.
A pre-approval letter is issued only after the lender verifies income and employment and the borrowers have provided bank or investment statements proving they have sufficient funds available to close a particular transaction. The loan officer will provide the borrowers with a preapproved loan amount so they know the price range to shop for, but the preapproval letter won’t have any specific loan amount listed only that the borrowers are good to go and are ready to close. Borrowers with a preapproval letter can close more quickly than borrowers who have not submitted their income and asset documentation.
When buyers contact a real estate agent to help them find a home, one of the first questions the agent will ask is whether they’ve spoken with a lender, and if not they need to do so soon before the agent does too much research. The agent will also ask to see a preapproval letter from the lender. Once the letter is obtained, the agent knows the buyers are motivated and there will be no problems during the loan process.
Further, when making an offer on a property, the sellers and the seller’s agent know the buyers are motivated and have already submitted their loan application to a lender. If there are multiple offers on a property, the buyers with the preapproval letter will get the nod over someone without a preapproval. Remember, when a seller accepts an offer its status is switched from “For Sale” to “Pending” which means a contract has been accepted and a closing date has been scheduled.
If there is a problem with the loan application during this period and the deal falls through, the sellers must put the home back on the market once again. For peace of mind for all parties, the preapproval letter is the answer. Homebuyers interested in applying can learn about all the Jumbo Mortgage Basics here.
Buyers who have questions about getting preapproved for a Jumbo loan can contact us at Ph: 800-840-6449 or just submit the Quick Call Form. Be sure to visit our website to learn more about all the low down payment Jumbo Purchase options like 90% and 95% financing.
