There are a lot of things to know before buying a house. Your friends and family surely have plenty of tips, but if you have been approved for a mortgage for your next home, here are a few things to know that they might not have told you. And what they haven’t told you could cost you!
Things to know before buying a house
While most of your hard work of building a good credit profile and amassing savings for a down payment and closing costs is behind you, it’s important to remember that your lender will recheck your credit just prior to your settlement date and will also verify a few details such as your place of employment to make sure nothing has changed.
That’s the key phrase—“nothing has changed.” You must take care to maintain the same credit profile that led to your loan approval until your mortgage paperwork is completely signed.
Avoid the following actions to ensure a smooth settlement.
1. Don’t apply for new credit
It may seem natural to apply for a credit card at a home improvement store or a furniture store before buying a house, but applying for credit can lower your credit score. Not only will you lose a few points because of a credit inquiry, but if you are approved for new credit, a lender may worry that you will spend up to your new credit limit and then default on your loan.
2. Don’t close any credit accounts
You may be feeling that this is a good time to get your financial house in order by closing unused credit accounts or transferring your debt to a new credit card with a zero-interest balance transfer offer. While that’s a smart move financially, it’s a bad one for your credit score because you lose points when you have a higher usage of debt compared to your limit on one credit card and to your overall credit availability. Wait until your closing is complete before you make these changes.
3. Don’t move your money around without a paper trail
Your lender will need the most recent bank statements before you go to settlement, so if you have any unusual deposits you will need to provide complete documentation of where the money came from. If possible, it’s best to move the cash you will need for your home purchase into one account before you apply for a mortgage. If not, make sure you have complete and accurate records readily available.
4. Don’t increase your debts
In addition to your credit score, your debt-to-income ratio is extremely important to a loan approval. If you take on more debt you could be in danger of going above the maximum acceptable debt-to-income ratio.
5. Don’t skip a payment or make a late payment
One of the most important elements of your credit score is your history of on-time, in-full payments, so don’t get so caught up in buying a house that you forget to keep up with paying basic bills.
6. Don’t buy a car
You may be feeling that a new car would be a nice addition to the driveway of your new home. Resist that feeling. Even if you can easily afford a new car, the depletion of your savings or the addition of a new car loan could derail your mortgage application. Wait until after you have moved to switch to a new car.
7. Don’t change jobs if you can help it
While a job change could mean a raise or a path to a better future, it could also delay your settlement. Your lender needs to verify employment and will need pay stubs to prove your new income before your loan can go to settlement.
8. Don’t spend your savings
You’ll need cash on hand at the settlement for your down payment and closing costs and your lender may even verify your cash reserves one more time, so make sure the funds stay in place.
In other words, no matter how hard it is at this exciting time, it’s better to do nothing than to do anything.
BY: Michele Lerner | Mar 24, 2014
Michele Lerner writes about real estate for Avenue Homes as well as personal finance and business news. She is the author of two books about home buying.
