Tom Johnson

  • Home
  • Search
    • Advanced Search
    • Map Search
    • Get Property Alerts
    • What’s My Home Worth?
  • Areas
    • Aurora
    • Denver
    • Parker
    • Centennial
  • Featured Properties
  • Blog
  • About
    • About Tom
    • Testimonials
  • Contact

Try Our Property Search

Get Property Alerts

Read Our Blog

What's Your Home Worth

The Do’s and Don’ts after Applying for a Mortgage

April 15, 2021 By Tom Johnson

Once you’ve found the right home and applied for a mortgage, there are some key things to keep in mind before you close. You’re undoubtedly excited about the opportunity to decorate your new place, but before you make any large purchases, move your money around, or make any major life changes, consult your lender – someone who is qualified to tell you how your financial decisions may impact your home loan.

Below is a list of things you shouldn’t do after applying for a mortgage. They’re all important to know – or simply just good reminders – for the process.

1. Don’t Deposit Cash into Your Bank Accounts Before Speaking with Your Bank or Lender. Lenders need to source your money, and cash is not easily traceable. Before you deposit any amount of cash into your accounts, discuss the proper way to document your transactions with your loan officer.

2. Don’t Make Any Large Purchases Like a New Car or Furniture for Your New Home. New debt comes with new monthly obligations. New obligations create new qualifications. People with new debt have higher debt-to-income ratios. Higher ratios make for riskier loans, and then sometimes qualified borrowers no longer qualify.

3. Don’t Co-Sign Other Loans for Anyone. When you co-sign, you’re obligated. With that obligation comes higher ratios as well. Even if you promise you won’t be the one making the payments, your lender will have to count the payments against you.

4. Don’t Change Bank Accounts. Remember, lenders need to source and track your assets. That task is significantly easier when there’s consistency among your accounts. Before you transfer any money, speak with your loan officer.

5. Don’t Apply for New Credit. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a new credit card or a new car. When you have your credit report run by organizations in multiple financial channels (mortgage, credit card, auto, etc.), your FICO® score will be impacted. Lower credit scores can determine your interest rate and maybe even your eligibility for approval.

6. Don’t Close Any Credit Accounts. Many buyers believe having less available credit makes them less risky and more likely to be approved. Wrong. A major component of your score is your length and depth of credit history (as opposed to just your payment history) and your total usage of credit as a percentage of available credit. Closing accounts has a negative impact on both of those determinants of your score.

Bottom Line

Any blip in income, assets, or credit should be reviewed and executed in a way that ensures your home loan can still be approved. If your job or employment status has changed recently, share that with your lender as well. The best plan is to fully disclose and discuss your intentions with your loan officer before you do anything financial in nature.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Tom Johnson is an experienced and award-winning Realtor with Your Castle Real Estate serving the Great Denver/Aurora Metro Area and Buckley Space Force Base.

As a Residential Specialist and VA Loan Expert he is happy to assist you in purchasing a new home, selling your current home, or simply answering your real estate questions.

Tom Johnson, Realtor – MBA, CRS, MRP

Call or text to (303) 856-6185 or email: tomjohnson@yourcastle.org

Google Reviews

Follow Tom on Facebook

Follow Tom on Instagram

Follow Tom on LinkedIn

Email Tom

Filed Under: Home Buying, Mortgage Tagged With: Mortgage Tips

Recent Posts

  • Why Your Home Inspection Matters [INFOGRAPHIC]
  • Why Buying a Home May Make More Sense Than Renting [INFOGRAPHIC]
  • Why You Should Consider Condos as Part of Your Home Search
  • What Experts Say Will Happen with Home Prices Next Year
  • What Every Seller Needs To Know About Renovating This Year
  • 4 Simple Graphs Showing Why This Is Not a Housing Bubble
  • Don’t Let Student Loans Delay Your Homeownership Dreams
  • What’s Driving Today’s High Buyer Demand? [INFOGRAPHIC]
  • The Top Indicator if You Want To Know Where Mortgage Rates Are Heading
  • How Remote Work Impacts Your Home Search [INFOGRAPHIC]

Categories

  • 1031 Exchange
  • Aurora Neighborhoods
  • Home Buying
  • Home For Sale
  • Home Improvements
  • Home Maintenance
  • Home Ownership
  • Home Selling
  • Home Value
  • Investment Property
  • Market Information
  • Money Matters
  • Mortgage
  • New Construction
  • Recommendation/Testimonial
  • Taxes
  • Uncategorized
  • VA Loans
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
Equal Housing
Blue Fire Group    Real Estate Websites
© 2023 Copyright
LAC
Buying Buddy    Powered By Buying Buddy ®