Congratulations! You're ready to buy a home. There a few simple steps you can take to help you prepare.

If you are buying or refinancing a home

1. If you are salaried: provide two years W-2 and one month of pay stubs OR if you are self employed: provide two years tax returns and a YTD profit and loss statement.
2. If you own rental property, please provide rental agreements and two years tax returns.
3. If you wish to speed up the approval process, please also provide three months bank statements for each bank, stock and mutual fund account.
4. Provide recent copies of any stock brokerage or 1RA/401 K accounts that you may have.
5. If you are requesting a cash out refinance please provide a letter explaining what you plan to do with the proceeds. Provide a copy of divorce decree if applicable.
6. If you are NOT a US citizen, provide us with a copy of your green card (front & back), or if you are NOT a permanent resident provide us with your H-1 or L-1 visa.

If you are applying for a home equity loan

1. If you are salaried: provide two years W-2 and one month of pay stubs OR if you are self employed: provide two years tax returns and a YTD profit and loss statement.
2. If you own rental property, please provide rental agreements and two years tax returns.
3. Please provide a copy of the note on your first mortgage. This will normally be found in your closing loan documents.
4. Please provide a signed letter explaining what you plan to do with the proceeds.
5. Provide a copy of divorce decree if applicable.
6. If you are NOT a US citizen, provide us with a copy of your green card (front & back), or if you are NOT a permanent resident provide us with your H-1 or L-1 visa.

Getting qualified before you apply for a loan can help understand how much you can borrow.

When buying a house, you may get pre-qualified or pre-approved. You can typically get pre-qualified over the phone or on the Internet in a few minutes. A pre-qualification is not as beneficial as a pre-approval where you have to go through a more rigorous process which includes verification of your credit, income, assets and liabilities. It is highly recommended that you get pre-approved before you start looking for a house. This will help you:

• Find out the maximum house you can buy, so you don't waste time looking for properties you can't afford.
• Puts you in a stronger position when you are negotiating with the seller, because the seller knows that your loan is already approved.
• Helps you close quickly, since your loan is already approved.