Once you're into the home buying process and you mortgage pre-approval, there are some things you should do - and not do - to make sure you can go from pre-approved to approved and buying. The video below explains it briefly. We'll also cover a few ideas of what to avoid in a short list as well.

It's something we see from time to time at AmeriFirst. In fact, it's something we see fairly often. And it's not the home buyer's fault. In fact, it used to be the norm in the housing market. But it's not the way things work anymore. What are we talking about? In our contact forms, potential borrowers will say some variation of, "I made an offer on a home so I need to get mortgage pre-approval." In today's housing market, that's backwards, and can lead to some severe disappointment. Pre-approval for financing a home should come before house hunting, and should come well before making an offer.

A lot of media and news outlets are reporting interesting news about the current housing market. One article from the Associated Press says home buyers should really save up for a 20% down payment. The same article puts mortgage pre-approval down on the list of "first steps." The problem is that the article is a bit misleading. Sure, 20% down will work. However, home buyers have some great low down payment options available in today's housing market.

Gone are the days of simply house hunting with no information. Once upon a time, hopeful home buyers could go touring houses, visiting open houses and even begin to negotiate price before talking to a lender. Then the housing bubble burst and everything seemed to change.

A lot of home buyers have a lot of questions. One question often asked - but not often enough - is "Before I make an offer on a house, should I get pre-approved for a mortgage?" The short answer: yes.

What do you need to bring to the bank to be approved for a mortgage? Let's get right to the answer with a short video from our "60 Second Mortgage Tip" series. This quick clip gives you an idea of what you'll need for the mortgage pre-approval process, which leads to a much easier approval process.

To apply for a mortgage, you'll need several things. Besides an ID you'll need to prove you have income and show that you can pay your debts. That's the basic premise when it comes to applying for a mortgage loan. But as they say, the devil's in the details. Let's take a look at how the process works.

A home buyer sent us a great question, and one we see often. Fortunately this buyer asked before they went house hunting. The question centers on the first step of the home buying process. In today's housing market, that first step should be mortgage pre-approval. Here's the question straight from the borrower:

Preparing now for your home buying adventure next year will help make the process easier, and will help you buy that house earlier in the year. If you get started with small steps now, you can become a 2013 first time home buyer with no real headaches. The Boy Scouts of America use this for part of their motto, but it works in the home buying world too: Be Prepared.

It happens a lot. We'll see a contact form from a potential borrower that tells us "ACME Bank gave me mortgage pre-approval. But the house I want needs work and they don't do renovation loans." Don't worry, your home buying process isn't completely off the rails. We can help.