How to get Mortgage Pre-Approvals

Depending on who you have chosen, for your Edmonton REALTOR®, the brokerage may have several in-house mortgage brokers to help you or you can make an appointment with your current financial institution with a mortgage specialist.

A mortgage pre-approval is the mortgage underwriting approval process, which consists of gathering all necessary paperwork, prior to house shopping. This paperwork will consist of the last two years of your T4's or last 3 years if you are self-employed, most recent paystub, confirmation of downpayment and closing costs, all debts including support payments, charge card debts and vehicle payments, other income, and any other relevant documentation.

Once all of the paperwork is gathered, it is sent to the underwriter who will review it, check your credit and take into consideration any other factors which will affect your debt ratios.

REAL ESTATE TIP: When you have completed your pre-approval process, this does not guarantee you will be approved for your home. If anything changes or if a "surprises" arrives prior to possession of your new home, your financial institution can still pull your mortgage approval.

If you are putting less than 20% down you will need to pay a CHMC Fee. This is an insurance fee for your financial institution and can be rolled into your mortgage. Rule of thumb. The higher your down payment, the lower the CHMC Fee.

If your credit is border-line, it is great to have a mortgage broker who has personally met you and is willing to vouch for you to the underwriter if needed. All mortgage lenders have, at least internally, a turn time." That is simply the time from submission to underwriter review and their decision. The turn time can be affected by a number of factors big and small. However, if you go to a big bank you can expect a more lengthy approval process and may not make your condition deadline. It is what they do. Let your agent know whether you are using a mortgage broker or someone at your financial institution.

Once the underwriter has had time to review the documents, they will typically issue one of three dispositions - approved, denied or suspended - to your application. If approved underwriting will typically assign a set of conditions you will need to clear to obtain full approval. Clarification on a late payment, a large deposit, past life transgression or simply a missed signature here or there is normal requests. If suspended, which is not completely unusual, underwriting is confused and needs clarification on something.

REAL ESTATE TIP: Once you have approval from your bank, ask them to send you and your real estate agent something in writing.

Are You Paying too Much for Your Property?

Before you offer any seller a price for a property, there are a few facts you should know. The asking price or the city assessment of a property does not necessarily reflect the "market value" of the home. Below are a few questions you should check into prior to making an offer.

Is the property tax assessment accurate? If not, find out why

For the city of Edmonton, you can find out the tax assessment value of any residential property at https://maps.edmonton.ca/map.aspx. Although the amount the city thinks the property is worth does not necessarily reflect the true value. It is only used as a starting point.

Are real estate prices going up or coming down?

What is the latest real estate trend in that community? To determine if Edmonton community property values are going down or to tell if it is becoming one of Edmonton's hot spots, use the absorption rate tool.

How much was the bank property appraisal?

Financial institutions base their appraisals on the "Emily System", which is an accumulation of recently sold comparable properties. If there are no relevant sold Edmonton properties or if your home is more unique, independent appraisers can do a "cost to replace" appraisal.

Ask your REALTOR® to complete a CMA for you before you make the offer?

A good agent will complete a "Sold Comparative Market Analysis" (CMA) for you, prior to submitting an offer to purchase. This will let both you and your agent know what nearby properties have recently sold and for what price.

Is the property staged to avoid any defects?

Don't be fooled by the staging in a property. This is one of the biggest mistakes a buyer can make. When viewing a home, overlooking the nice furniture and freshly painted walls. Take a close look at the overall condition of the property. An easy way to know if a dwelling is shifting is to open and close the windows and doors.

Do you know what a realistic offer should look like?

No matter if you are buying a home in Edmonton in a buyers market or a seller's market. Submitting a realistic offer is important. When a home is priced accordingly to the real estate market, don't try to "low ball" the seller, you will end up paying more because you have insulted them. Do your research.

For more information on submitting in Edmonton and find an experienced buyer's agent, contact an Edmonton Remax Agent.