Pre-Approved VA Loan in Five Steps

Jun 22
08:17

2011

Melissa Kellet

Melissa Kellet

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Getting pre-approved shows sellers that you are a serious buyer. If you are going to use a VA loan to finance your new home, it is relatively easy to get pre-approved.

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Just about any serious buyer on the market,Pre-Approved VA Loan in Five Steps Articles no matter which venue they choose, VA, FHA, etc., should get pre-approved. It shows a lender you are earnest, and cuts down on a lot of hassles around closing on the home. The process may seem complicated but it just takes a little earnest effort on the part of the home buyer. Here are five easy, more or less, steps you need to take.ONE: Complete a Loan ApplicationDo not be too worried about minutiae at this point. Fill out the papers as well as you can. If your loan officer requires it, he or she will ask you for any additional information.TWO: Complete Form 26-1880If you already have a certificate of VA Loan Eligibility, you can usually skip this step. Lenders just want to be sure you are VA loan qualified. But, the form is only a page long and takes only a few minutes to fill out.THREE: Submit Income DocumentationThey want to know how much cash your pulling down so your officer will need a copy of your leave and earning statement (LES) or pay vouchers if you are a veteran. You should also have your recent W-2 Forms. If you have disability award or retirement statements, you will need those as well.FOUR: Pull Your Credit HistoryGrant your loan officer permission to pull your credit reports and review your credit history.As a guideline, your credit scores should be around 620. If your report shows bankruptcies, foreclosures, repos, liens, or other judgments, these could forestall your efforts for pre-approval – not just on a VA loan, but just about any loan. Should your credit scores fall below 620, that pretty well nixes your chance for VA loan approval. Here, they do not go for an average of your three scores, they go for the one in the middle, not the lowest or highest. If you get rejected, your loan officer should carefully explain the reason for the rejection and explain avenues to improve your chances for getting pre-approved as soon as you can.FIVE: Have a VA Loan AnalysisThis process determines the amount of the loan the VA is willing to back. Once this is done, you loan officer will submit to you a couple of documents, a pre-approval letter and some disclosures. Sign those necessary and send them back to the loan officer. Any signatures rendered are not really binding in any legal sense and they do not lock you into any obligation. The only binding documents you will sign will be at closing.Finishing Up VA Loan Pre-ApprovalTechnology is wonderful! Your pre-approval process should not require you to leave the comfort of your armchair, it you have a web connection. And, it should only take an hour or so. E-mail, fax, document scans, telephone can accommodate just about every requirement. Do not look to offer any payment for fees for the pre-approval process.Sure, lenders can legally impose certain up-front fees, but the majority of them do not. Pre-approvals are usually testate for 90-120 days. Sellers know that they have a serious buyer on their hands when the buyer presents pre-approval documents.