Skip to main content

Loan Process

Five steps from first question to signed papers.

Every loan follows the same path. Open one step at a time and see what happens, what we need from you, and when.

The path every loan takes

Start at the top and work down. Each step opens on its own, so you are reading one part of the process at a time.

  1. Step 1

    Find out what you can borrow

    Know your price range before you tour a single home. Pre-qualifying takes a few questions.

    The first step is a number — how much you can borrow. A few answers about income, debt, and down payment give you a working price range.

    • Pre-approval is the stronger one It verifies your income, credit, assets, and debts up front, so a seller knows the financing behind your offer is real. Ask us to pre-qualify you before you start looking.

      • Shop only for homes inside your range
      • Negotiate from a stronger position with sellers
      • Close faster once your offer is accepted

    • Two ratios set the ceiling Loan-to-value weighs what you borrow against what the home is worth, and the usual guide is a mortgage payment under a third of gross monthly income. Carrying more debt means putting more down.

    • Your credit is pulled once, on purpose A FICO score ranks your repayment risk against everyone else, and every lender who pulls your report nudges it down. Authorise a pull only once you have chosen who to apply with.

    • Self-employed? Bring two years Without pay stubs an employer can verify, a lender reads tax returns instead — usually two years of them. Gathering those early is what keeps this step short.

    • Down payment money needs a trail Saved funds are simplest. Gifted funds work too, with a signed letter from the donor stating the money does not have to be paid back.

    An open spiral notebook ruled into a blank budget grid, a desk calculator resting on it, a pencil and a mug of coffee on a pale oak kitchen table by a window
  2. Step 2

    Choose the loan that fits

    Two basic shapes: a payment that never moves, or one that can. How long you stay decides it.

    Home loans come in many shapes, and almost all of them are a version of two. Which one makes sense depends on how long you plan to keep the house.

    • Fixed rate — the payment holds Fifteen or thirty years at one rate, so principal and interest never change. Conventional loans are the most common version of it.

      • You plan to stay more than seven years
      • You want a payment you can plan around
      • You would rather not risk a future increase
      • Your income and spending look steady

    • Adjustable rate — the payment moves Also fifteen or thirty years, but the rate resets on a schedule and the monthly payment rises or falls with it.

      • You plan to stay less than five years
      • A payment that changes does not worry you
      • You are comfortable with a possible increase
      • You expect your income to grow

    • The program name is not the decision Your numbers are. Compare the programs with a loan officer who has run both against your file and your plans.

    A simple line chart on a faint grid: a flat navy line for a fixed payment, and a light-blue line that runs level and then steps up and down for an adjustable one
  3. Step 3

    Apply for your loan

    Send us a message, or ask for a loan officer by name. This is the step that opens your file.

    Once you know what you want, send us a message and we will open your file. One conversation is usually all it takes to start.

    • A person, not a queue One named loan officer owns your file from application through closing — never a call center. Brian Arthur leads that team.

    • Have your paperwork nearby Income, assets, debts, and identification are what the file gets built from. None of it has to be perfect on day one.

    A manila folder open on a pale oak desk with a blank application form on top, a navy pen resting across it, a paper-clipped stack of bank statements and a closed laptop beside it
  4. Step 4

    Underwriting and approval

    Everything you told us gets verified: your income, your credit, your assets, and the home itself.

    Approval comes down to two questions — can you repay the loan, and is the property worth what you are borrowing. Your processor verifies every answer and chases anything that does not line up.

    • Income and employment Industry guidelines weigh what you earn against what you already owe, so the payment is one you can carry.

    • Credit history Your report shows how earlier loans were repaid. Any late payment counts, and you get the chance to explain it.

    • Assets on hand The file has to show the down payment and closing costs are really there, and where they came from.

    • The appraisal An independent appraiser sets a market value for the home you are buying, with location and zoning part of the read.

    • Anything still open Some files need one more document before a final decision. Sending it the same day is what protects a closing date.

    • Five things that keep it moving

      • Fill the application out completely the first time
      • Answer requests for documents the same day
      • Move no money without a paper trail
      • Make no major purchases until you close
      • Sign a power of attorney if you travel
    A thick loan file with coloured index tabs open on a pale oak desk, a magnifying glass on a document beside it, a row of paper clips and a navy highlighter
  5. Step 5

    Sign and close

    Read the documents, bring a cashier’s check, sign in front of a notary. Then the loan funds.

    The final documents come to you before you sign. Check that the rate, the terms, your name, and the address are what you were promised.

    • Read it before you sign Signing normally happens in front of a notary public. Nothing on those pages should be a surprise.

    • What to bring with you A cashier’s check for the down payment and closing costs, since personal checks are not usually accepted. Bring your homeowner’s insurance policy, proof it is paid, and flood coverage where it is required.

    • When the loan actually funds Most loans close shortly after signing. Federal law gives you three days to review the documents first on an owner-occupied refinance.

    A neat stack of closing documents on a pale oak table with a fountain pen resting on the signature line, a brass house key on a navy ribbon and a small potted succulent beside it

Wherever you are on that list, start here.

Tell us where you are and a loan officer will tell you what your next step actually looks like — no application required to ask.

Send us a message Start with the numbers
Call Text