• Pre-qualification  means the mortgage lender has reveiwed the financial information and provides an estimate of what you might be able to borrow. 
• Pre-approval is a commitment with conditions from a lender that you will be approved for a mortgage. Pre-approval is a smart step when you are ready to put in an offer on a home. It shows the sellers that you’re a serious homebuyer and that you can secure a mortgage. 

Usually people refinance to save money, either by obtaining a lower interest rate or by reducing the term of the loan. Refinancing is also a way to convert an adjustable loan to a fixed loan or to consolidate debts. The decision to refinance can be difficult, since there are several reasons to refinance.

If you are looking to save money, try this calculation: Calculate the total cost of the refinance Calculate the monthly savings Divide the total cost of the refinance (4) by the monthly savings (+2). This is the “break even time. If you own the house longer than this, you will save money by refinancing. Since refinancing is a complex topic, consult a mortgage professional.

A rate lock is a contractual agreement between the lender and buyer to hold a specific mortgage interest rate for a particular period, even if the rate rises. There are four components to a rate lock: loan program, interest rate, points, and the length of the lock.

• A mortgage broker acts as a middleman that matches homebuyers to home loans. They do not issue loans directly to the buyers, rather help the buyers compare lenders to find a mortgage product that meets their needs.
• A lender is a financial institution that issues home loans directly to homebuyers. If you plan to use financing to purchase your new home, you need a lender who is willing to loan you the funds.

Not necessarily. In fact, if you are a reasonably astute shopper, you will probably do better dealing with a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers do not add any net cost to the lending process, because they perform functions that would otherwise have to be done by employees of the lender.

Furthermore, because mortgage brokers deal with multiple lenders – in a typical case, 25 to 30, sometimes more – they can shop for the best terms available on any given day. In addition, they can find the lenders who specialize in various market niches that many other lenders avold, such as loans to applicants with poor credit ratings, loans to borrowers who do not intend to occupy the property, loans with minimal or no down payment, and so on.

Both income and assets are disclosed and verified, and income is used in determining the applicants ability to repay the mortgage. Formal verification requires the borrower’s employer to verify employment and the borrower’s bank to verify deposits. Alternative documentation, designed to save time, accepts copies of the borrower’s original bank statements, W-2s and paycheck stubs.

Stated Income/Verified Assets: Income is disclosed and the source of the income is verified, but the amount is not verified. Assets are verified, and must meet an adequacy standard such as, for example, 6 months of stated income and 2 months of expected monthly housing expense.

Stated Income/Stated Assets Both Income and assets are disclosed but not verified. However, the source of the borrower’s Income is verified.

No Ratio: Income is disclosed and verified but not used in qualifying the borrower. The standard rule that the borrower’s housing expense cannot exceed some specified percent of Income, is ignored. Assets are disclosed and verified.

No Income: Income Is not disclosed, but assets are disclosed and verifled, and must meet an adequacy standard.

Stated Assets or No Asset verification: Assets are disclosed but not verifted, income is disclosed, verified and used to qualify the applicant.

No Asset: Assets are not disclosed, but income is disclosed, verified and used to qualify the applicant. No income/no assets: Neither income nor assets are disclosed.

It is the list of settlement charges that the lender is obliged to provide the borrower within three business days of receiving the loan application. It includes basic information about the terms of the mortgage loan offer, including estimated costs for the loan, loan charges, third-party fees, and other settlement costs. 

A loan eligible for purchase by the two major Federal agencies that buy mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

A mortgage larger than the maximum eligible for conforming purchase by the two Federal agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Points are optional fees that you pay to your mortgage lender up front when the loan closes. In exchange, you get a lower interest rate on the loan, which results in a lower monthly payment.  For example, “2 points” means a charge equal to 2% of the loan balance.