Pre Approval (PPC)
Mortgage Pre-approval
Before you start the house-hunting process, there’s an important step you can take to save you time and make the process smoother: getting pre-approved for a mortgage. A pre-approval determines the home price you can afford which allows you to budget for your home purchase and focuses your home search. With a pre-approval you’ll also be able to lock in a mortgage rate in case rates increase during your home search.
What is a Mortgage Pre-approval?
A mortgage pre-approval is a process that provides you with important information to help you with your home search. When you get pre-approved for a mortgage, you’ll find out:
- The maximum amount you can afford to spend on a home
- What your mortgage rate will be for your first mortgage term
- The monthly mortgage payment associated with your maximum purchase price
Applying for a mortgage pre-approval is free and it doesn’t commit you to one single lender. However, getting pre-approved does guarantee that the mortgage rate you are offered by a lender will not change for 120 to 160 days. By “locking in” your rate, you’re protected if interest rates rise while you’re shopping for a home. If interest rates go down during this time, your lender will honour the lower rate.
Why Get Pre-approved for a Mortgage
Getting pre-approved for a mortgage helps you in several ways: It saves time in your home search because you’ll only look at homes in your price range. Getting pre-approved is also a signal to your real estate agent that you’re serious about buying, and you’ll receive faster more targeted service. Finally, when it comes time to make an offer on a home, the fact that you are pre-approved signals to the seller that you should have no problem financing the purchase, which will improve your chances in a competitive offer situation. Don’t forget that if interest rates fall while you are locked in, your lender will honour the lower rate.