Hi Danny,

Please prepare the ff items before you call your friendly bank or mortgage co: 1. 2 yrs. W2s 2. most current paystub 3. 2 months of banks statements or your source of down payment 4. a copy of your recent credit report, if you have one. These items and your fico score from your credit report will determine how much loan you can qualify for and how much down payment do you need for the home you are intending to buy. Good Luck, it is not as hard as it sounds.
Laarni

Getting pre-approved for a loan is the first step in buying a home. I think one of the best ways to get pre-qualified is to first find a REALTOR that you want to work with. Just like your loan officer your REALTOR should be someone you feel comfortable with, someone you who knows your market and understands the whole home buying process and who will walk you through each step. Once you have selected a REALTOR, ask your REALTOR to reccomend someone. Your REALTOR should have good knowledge of which Loan Officers will best meet your needs. Talk with several Loan Officers and choose the one who can offer you the best program to meet your needs and whom you feel most comfortable with. You may also want to talk with family and friends about Loan Officers they might reccommend. You have two financial objectives when you purchase a home. First you want to pay the seller the lowest amount they will accept for their home. Your REALTOR will help you accomplish this objective. Second you want to pay the lender the lowest amount possible for the financing over time. YOur REALTOR and Loan Officer should be able to help you with that as well.

Hi Danny,

On the Zillow website there is an entire section dedicated to the home buying process. You may find in helpful. Here is the link http://www.zillow.com/wikipages/Buyers---Where-to-Start

Best of luck to you,

Sandy Shores

Hi Dan;
Pre=qualifying is the first important step to buying a home. Be thoughtful about selecting a loan broker or a bank you want to use. You, the loan person and your Realtor will form the core of the team that will find your new home. You want to make sure the loan person is responsive and has all access to different packages, so you can pick the right loan for you.
Ask your friends who they used, walk into your local bank, ask for a refferal from a Realtor, another words, shop around a little to find the right person.
Also, you really want a pre-approval not a pre-qualifying letter. The pre-approval means that whoever is doing your loan has taken a deeper look into your ability to get a loan. Sellers take pre-approvals more seriously than pre-qualify.
The loan person will ask you to show proof of employment, tax records, any debts, and permission to look up your credit score. It sounds invasive, but they do it everyday, so don't be hesitant about turning over this information.
Good Luck

Talk to a lender or mortgage broker. You can do it online if you prefer. Only takes a few minutes.

Danny,

Go to a local lender, ask them to pre-qualify you, and they will start the process for you.
That is the 2 second answer.