Foreclosure Buying: The Importance of Mortgage Pre-Approval

13 August 2008

Author: admin Posted under Mortgage

With market conditions clearly favoring buyers over sellers, it is not surprising that you would like to take a share of the pie and purchase a foreclosure property for its good return potential. However, it is important for you to get pre-approved for a mortgage loan first before you start shopping for one of these distressed properties.

Foreclosure Buying: The Importance of Mortgage Pre-Approval

There are several reasons why you should do this:

Guarantee Financial Source – getting pre-approved for a housing loan will basically ensure how you will pay for the purchase of the foreclosed property. It is considered to be a practical step since you would not want to waste your time searching for a property that you can not buy in the end.
Establish Credibility to Buyer – since the buying process will involve negotiations with the lender, you will be surprised at how easier it would be if you have mortgage pre-approval. This is because the sellers will believe that you are really in the market to buy a foreclosed home and is not only wasting their time.
Determine Working Budget – if you get pre-approved first, you will be able to find out how much money you will be working with. Based on your credit history, prevailing interest rates and present financial status, the lender will be able to give you a rough estimate of the loan amount that you could get. Keep in mind that this is not really the approved loan amount but at least you will have something to work with.
Close Deals Faster – with a pre-approved mortgage, you will be able to enjoy some advantage over the other buyers who did not bother to get pre-approved. This is certainly a good thing especially if there are other bidders.

As soon as you have obtained mortgage pre-approval, you will be surprised at how simple it is to come up with a shortlist of foreclosure homes that you will choose from and how easy it is to negotiate prices with the seller.