Mortgage Readiness Review
Six months out is a good place to be. So is next year. The only thing we do not want is you stressed about something you do not need to be stressed about yet.
Talk to somebody. That is genuinely the whole answer.
You do not need to apply for a mortgage because you had a conversation, and you do not have to buy a house. We are just figuring out where you are. Six months is actually a nice amount of time to have, because now nothing is rushed.
Most people start by looking at houses instead, and looking at houses is fun. Talking about documents and taxes is less exciting. But if you fall in love with a house before you understand your numbers, everything after that happens backwards. Understand the financial side first, then look at houses knowing what you are actually comfortable with.
Align Homebuyer Game Plan
Eight questions, about two minutes. You will get a clear picture of where you stand and what is worth working on before you start making offers.
This is an educational self assessment. It is not a credit decision, a preapproval, or an offer of credit, and it does not affect your credit.
Your readiness picture
Talk it through with Samantha. No application, no credit pull, just a conversation about your situation and what comes next.
Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154. Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. This assessment is for educational purposes only. It is not a credit decision, a preapproval, a commitment to lend, or an offer of credit, and it does not evaluate your eligibility for any loan program. Any financing options available to you depend on a complete application, a review of your credit and income, the property, and program requirements.
If you tell us you are probably buying next year, the conversation might be ten minutes.
Basic income and asset documents are a reasonable place to start.
But honestly, we would rather you talk to us first so we can give you a list that matches your situation. A W-2 employee, somebody self-employed, and somebody with retirement income all look different, so a giant generic list mostly creates work that does not apply to you.
Nobody needs homework just for the sake of homework.
First, do not panic. And do not start doing random things you read online.
Let us look at the actual situation. Some people arrive convinced their credit means they cannot even talk to a lender. That is exactly when we want to hear from you. Maybe you are ready now. Maybe you are not. If you are not, it is worth understanding why.
What helps is very individual, which is why there is no single trick worth repeating here. Everyone's file is different. We look at what is actually there and what matters for the mortgage specifically. If something needs time, the useful part is knowing that early rather than finding out later. That is another reason calling early matters.
What calling early actually buys you
Talk through your own situationThe hard version is somebody who calls after they already found the house. Now they are excited. Their agent is asking questions. There is a deadline. And we are meeting them for the first time while everybody is already moving.
Could we still have the conversation? Absolutely. But we always think, we could have had this exact conversation three months ago when nobody cared how long it took.
That is why calling early is not about applying early. It is about giving yourself time. If there is something we need to understand, we have time. If everything looks good, perfect. Go live your life and come back when you are ready.
The early call is almost always easier than the emergency call. Time is what creates choices.
Samantha Shelton has been a licensed loan officer since May 2020 and founded Align Lending in August 2020. Before mortgages she was a stay-at-home mom raising three boys.
In her own words: "I own a mortgage brokerage in Michigan and I help people understand their options before they make one of the biggest financial decisions they are ever going to make."
Recognition includes Hall of AIME, NAMB Broker of the Year, and Woman with Vision, along with her leadership work with AIME.
Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
Read Samantha's storySamantha is so smart and helpful. She answered all my questions and she followed up with me a week later to ensure I had my questions answered again. She is amazing.
Individual experience. Results vary.
Check it yourself
The official pages behind the rules on this page.
If yours is not here, ask it on the call. There are no dumb questions.
Then we figure out what matters and what does not, and you have information instead of guessing. Maybe something needs time. Knowing that early is the whole point of calling early.
There really is not a too early. If you tell us you are probably buying next year, that is fine. The conversation might be ten minutes, and at least you will know whether there is anything worth paying attention to between now and then.
No. You do not need to apply for a mortgage because you had a conversation, and you do not have to buy a house. We are working out where you are.
Not to have a conversation. If and when a credit review becomes part of the process, you will know before it happens.
Those tools are useful for orientation. They guess at taxes and insurance, which in Michigan is exactly where the estimate goes wrong. They are not your actual mortgage.
If the answer is that you are not ready, you know why, and you know what would change it. That is a far better position than wondering.
Not what product you want. What you are actually trying to accomplish.
A licensed Align loan officer works out what matters most for you specifically.
Your options, the tradeoffs, and your next step. No obligation to go further.
Background from the Align Learn Center, if you want to read before you talk to anybody.
Align Lending LLC, NMLS #2041154. Samantha Shelton, NMLS 1647301. Equal Housing Opportunity. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. This page is for educational purposes only. It is not a credit decision, a preapproval, a commitment to lend, or an offer of credit, and it does not evaluate your eligibility for any loan program.
