All mortgage lenders require tons of paperwork in order to verify each and every detail of your financial life.  

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The home process is a series of steps but the most important is providing the documents needed to obtain a mortgage.  The lender will require the following documents so take a few minutes to find them before making an appointment to apply for a loan:

Checklist

• Recent paycheck stubs
• Most recent federal tax return and in some cases the last 2 tax returns
• If you collect a paycheck- W-2 forms from the previous 2 years
• Detailed list of debt amounts and monthly payments on credit cards, student loans, car loans, child support payments and personal loans from 3rd parties.
• Assets- bank statements, mutual fund and/or stock investment statements, real estate and car titles as well as documentation for any other investments or assets.
• 1099 forms or profit and loss statement if you own a business (self employed)

All the required documentation helps support your loan request.  In some cases the lender may want additional information from the IRS and require to sign IRS Form 4506-T allowing the lender to get a transcript of tax returns from the IRS.  The IRS transcript is compared to the copy of the tax return you provided.   

You can also expect the lender to check your credit reports.  If you have questions about your credit plan ahead and make an appointment with a lender to discuss your credit status and what steps you need to take to clear up any problems.  Most lenders offer free simple credit counseling to smooth out any bumps before you apply for a loan.  Remember lenders often run a 2nd (or 3rd) credit check just prior to closing so don’t do anything questionable -like buying a car or boat- until after the closing.

Additional Documents (may be required after the initial loan application)

• Copy of purchase contract which includes the price
• Copy of sale contract and/or closing forms if money from sale is required to purchase next property
• Proof of rental income if you’re renting out home
• Bankruptcy Discharge documents
• Divorce decree
• If child support is used as income-legal proof of the child’s age may be required
• Gift letter- financial gifts from family members require documentation proving the money is a gift and not a loan

The scout motto “Be Prepared” is a good description of how to handle all the different requests buyers get from lenders.  It just part of the process and while irritating- you need to provide everything quickly or risk losing the loan.