Is it customary to have a pre-approval require 3+ weeks?

If I was provided enough information to get a decision, it usually takes me an hour or so to do a pre-approval. Let me know if I can help.Thank you

No more than an hour or so with all information provided.

If the lender has the needed documentation, typically it only takes a day or two to get pre-approved. I hope this helps and please call me if I can help you.

You may have the wrong broker or lender.

Unless you have very complicated income (tax returns) a preapproval shouldn't take more than 24 hours from any lender. Even with tax returns, a week to 10 days after receiving them should be enough to get an underwriter to review (normally would take me 2-3 days max).

PS. It also depends whether the lender was actually requesting a full " credit approval" where your income and assets are reviewed and approved so that you have a conditional loan approval primarily subject only to you finding a property and finalizing the loan details. That process can take longer and I normally recommend it for customers where the income is difficult to calculate or who want to move quickly to close when they do find a home. Having a full approval can make the application look stronger to a seller.