In searching for a home, when is the best time to involve a mortgage person? Should we do it after we find a good home to buy?

You should always get pre-qualified first to first see how much you can afford to buy a home. Second, a realtor will always ask if you are pre-qualified before they will go out and show you a home, as they need to also know what price range you can afford.

Sara,It is in everyone's best interest if you get pre-approved before shopping for a home. Besides, how do you even know what you can buy if you have not discussed your personal finances and credit? Since you're in Orange County California, I recommend that you find a licensed mortgage loan originator who is not a Realtor. This way you have an unbiased mortgage loan originator who has no vested interest in just selling a home.Chuc may man ve nha mua sam. James

Excellent question: before you even begin to look at property it is wise to get with a trusted loan officer to find out exactly how much loan you qualify for. This way you do not find a house that you like and then you realize after going through all that work that you can not afford to buy it or do not like the mortgage payments. It would be very wise to make sure you submit all your income documents as well to make sure the lender can fully analze your tax returns to make sure there are no losses that you may not be aware of on your tax returns, such as unreimbursed business expenses. Once you have a pre-qualification letter then you would want to hire a realtor-buyers agent to protect your interest in the real estate transaction. Normally all the pre-approved clients I have are then reffered to a realtor that I am associated with. This helps you alleviate having to go through the scrubbing process of trying to find a reputable realtor that you can trust. If you establish a trusting relationship with your lender then they should be able to provide referrals for every other service that you may need throughout the transaction. Good luck and please let me know if you need any further assistance.

It is best and wisest to get pre-approved prior to shopping for you home. One, you will know what you can afford so you look at only homes in that price range and when you find that perfect home your offer will be stronger than a standard prequal. Feel free to contact me for a no obligation consultation.