What Does a Mortgage Loan Officer Seek When Applying for a Mortgage?
If you’re shopping for a home loan, you may be wondering what you should look for in a mortgage loan officer. After all, a loan officer is more than just a sales agent. They’re your advisor and your advocate, so it’s important to choose one who you feel comfortable working with.
Type of Mortgage
When seeking a mortgage, a borrower will first need to identify the loan program they want to use. In a fixed-rate mortgage, the borrower has full faith and credit in the mortgage lender’s ability to repay the mortgage in full. These mortgages have terms ranging from 15 years to 30 years. In a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly payment will be higher due to the longer amortization period. In a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage, the borrower will have higher payments due to a shorter amortization period.
Steady Income
A loan officer seeks a steady income when calculating a mortgage. The officer wants to know that your income is stable and that you aren’t in a new job or starting a new business. That is why they like to see you have at least two or three years of steady employment at your current job.
Credit Score
If you apply for a home loan, you will either be paying it off yourself or taking out a mortgage with a bank or lender. A mortgage lender will look at several factors when lending you money, and your credit score is one of those factors. A credit score is a number between 300 and 850, and it is a representation of your creditworthiness. The higher the score, the better the creditworthiness. The score is based on your financial health, such as payment histories on credit accounts, length of credit history, and types of credit used. A borrower’s credit score (from the CDR) is also considered when applying for a loan. A credit score is a number those lenders use to determine the borrower’s credit risk or the risk of the borrower defaulting on their loan
Your Debt-To-Income Ratio
One of the most important factors when preparing to apply for a mortgage is how much you owe. Mortgage loan officers (or brokers) will look to see if you have any debt, including installment loans, credit cards, and student loans. When applying for a mortgage loan, the loan officer will want to know quite a bit about you, including your income, your employment status, the type of property you are purchasing, how much money you have in savings, and how much debt is on your credit cards. The loan officer will also want to know your DTI ratio. Debt-To-Income Ratio (DTI) ratios are used to calculate how much of a home you can afford to spend on your monthly debt payments.
Down Payment.
To qualify for a mortgage, borrowers need to prove they have enough cash in savings to cover their down payment and closing costs. The conventional minimum down payment is 3 percent, but borrowers can get lower down payments depending on the type of loan and type of mortgage they choose. When applying for a mortgage loan, loan officers generally require down payment documents such as bank statements, W-2s, pay stubs, and other financial documents. A down payment of 20 percent or less will allow lenders to insure the loan, enabling them to offer lower interest rates. However, for the best rates, lenders often require a larger down payment.
When applying for a mortgage, a loan officer will want to know what type of mortgage a borrower intends to purchase and will need to determine the borrower’s eligibility for getting that loan. The loan officer will also want to verify how much money the borrower has for a down payment, how much income the borrower makes, and how that income will affect the borrower’s ability to pay the mortgage.
Deciding to apply for a mortgage is a big life decision. In addition to being responsible with your finances, this life-altering decision significantly impacts your credit score, affecting everything from your ability to rent an apartment or buy a car to future job opportunities. To apply for a mortgage, you need to prove that you have the resources to make loan repayments.
