What Should I Do Now?
When the mortgage company rep says your credit check went well and your loan application is pre-approved, it’s a great day. You can go out into the world knowing just how much house you can buy. You can make offers a seller will take seriously.
As hopeful buyers are sometimes startled to learn, though, a final approval isn’t a sure thing yet. In the process of underwriting your loan, a number of things can come up to derail the closing.
Final approval doesn’t occur until you’ve found a specific home to buy. When a seller accepts your offer, you apply for a specific loan, and the underwriter gets to work.
What’s the Issue? Here Are Some of the Common Ones.
Mortgage approvals be scuttled any day up to the time of closing by various issues:
Financing. Why does a lender deny financing to an applicant with good credit? Maybe because the applicant owns other properties and the underwriter regards that as too much risk. Maybe because the applicant bought something big on credit. Lenders like savings; big purchases can make them jittery. Other than regular bills and groceries, think before making a purchase or changing your credit profile in any way before closing. Don’t open that new line of credit at TJ Maxx to get a discount; do it after closing. What if something’s come up and you need to make a purchase or just forgot to be careful? Let your mortgage representative know. When something unexpected happens to throw off an applicant’s debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, the lender’s reactions can run the gamut from a firm denial to a higher rate on the loan.
Pro tip: It’s a competitive market, and a buyer needs to bid confidently. Ask the mortgage company about getting a “pre-underwriting” letter to assure the seller and yourself that your loan should have no trouble at the final approval stage.
Job or income changes. Along the same lines, try not to have any changes in your employment or income situation at all. Since the onset of Covid, lenders are particularly careful and some have loan applicants attest declare that their work hours and positions will not be impacted.
If a change in job status cannot be avoided, can the change be put off until after you close on the house?
Pro tip: If something does change, call your mortgage rep as soon as possible! Find out if the mortgage company can work around your situation. If you wait, and the lender learns of the change from your employer during an eleventh-hour verification of employment, you can could receive a loan denial.
Appraisal or inspection surprises. Lenders look at the reports from home appraisals and inspectors. Any surprises can set back a final approval.
The appraisal should show the home is valued at the amount you’re planning to pay for it, and it usually will, because appraisers take your purchase agreement into account. But if your bid is over the home’s value by a lot? The price might have to come down; otherwise, a deal could crumble. That’s why the appraisal contingency is a key element of your contract.
Problems found by the inspector need to be sorted out promptly by the parties — especially if big-ticket repairs are needed. An inspection could find roof problems, crumbling structural elements, toxic hazards, or faulty wiring, especially with older buildings. Be ready to negotiate quickly if the lender finds reason to balk at the last minute.
☛ You’ve made the seller an offer. Now, you’re waiting for the appraiser’s report. To explore what goes on at this stage, check out our Guide to Navigating the Home Appraisal.
Title issues. The title search checks out who owns the home and holds the right to sell it. Title searches also find restrictions on what an owner can do with the property. They find any lingering unpaid debts to contractors who worked on the home, outstanding taxes, recorded claims for child support, and bankruptcies. If the lien is relatively minor, funds can cover it from the buyer’s escrow account, then recovered from the seller at closing. Some title issues can derail closing—anything from a possible claim by an heir to a large easement, of which the seller was unaware. If a homeowners’ association holds the master deed to the property, the association’s finances or rules could be a deal-breaker; check on them early in the house search!
Title defects are usually found in the title search but they can also be missed in it. This is why title insurance matters. You are already paying for your lender’s title insurance at closing; and you can get your own title policy at closing too.
Can the Deal Be Saved? Don’t Panic.
Is an inspection issue holding up the deal? An inspection contingency in the purchase contract could let you back out. If the house is in worse shape than what you bargained for, letting go could be a very good decision. But if it’s worthwhile to try to save the deal, ask the seller’s agent if the work can be done promptly or if the seller would lower the asking price.
More deals face setbacks because of financing. And these setbacks can be higher hurdles to clear.
First, you can help set yourself up for success by not maxing out your pre-approved loan amount. The less you’re paying for a home, the more money you can put down, and the easier it will be to get a final approval. Shop within your means, and funding will be one less worry.
Pro tip: Be careful with joint bank accounts. Government loans can have per-county household income caps, and a mortgage applied for in just one name can run into snags when others’ incomes come into the mix. As your mortgage specialist how to handle mixed accounts early in the process.
That said, an unexpected hurdle might come up before closing despite the best-laid plans. Every mortgage applicant faces last-minute requests from the mortgage rep to explain a bank deposit, get a new employment verification from the regional office, track down an original copy of something… It’s all in a day’s work for the underwriters. Does something need an explanation? Write it down, sign the letter, and send it to your mortgage specialist to show the underwriter.
If you’re stuck, try to get a different loan type. (See Step 1, below.) Meanwhile, see if your seller will give you time to pivot. Consider offering to pay a month of mortgage, insurance, and upkeep costs and a month’s worth of taxes to cover the time. Assume that the seller will continue to show the home and look for backup buyers. You might be asked for extra earnest money; and, if you’re unable to get the loan during the extension, you might lose those funds. Either way, this is the time you want to lean on your agent’s know-how to negotiate with the seller.
What If the Deal Can’t Be Saved? Try These Four Reset Steps.
If the loan is absolutely not going to go through, be prepared to take one or more of the following steps:
Step 1. Switch loan types.
This can often be the quickest fix. Ask your current mortgage consultant if, for example, you might be eligible for a government-backed loan instead of the conventional loan you’d applied for. Still no dice? See Step 2.
Step 2. Switch mortgage companies.
Perhaps you can get a loan with a more determined or connected mortgage consultant? Review your financial situation, ask your real estate agent for gut check, keep your income steady, ask local friends for mortgage recommendations, and scour the online reviews. Some mortgage specialists are good at working with hard-to-approve borrowers.
Step 3. Get a co-borrower.
If you have shopped around and believe that no mortgage company is able to help you get a loan, a co-borrower might be the answer.
☛ Here’s how getting a mortgage with a co-borrower will affect your deed.
Co-borrowers can provide a supportive credit profile from a distance, while you, the primary borrower, live in the home and pay the mortgage.
Step 4. If all else fails, take a break, but stay focused.
For most people, something in Steps 1, 2, or 3 will get a hopeful buyer into a home. But if none of the above tactics work for you, you might need a harder reset. Look in a different area, or pause for a few quarters to strengthen your credit profile.
It’s terribly frustrating to get a denial. But you’re not alone in the struggle, and that might actually work to your benefit. Indeed, an increasing number of buyers are getting homes together as tenants in common. Co-buying might be a stepping stone that works for everyone involved.
Supporting References
Dori Zinn for Quicken Loans®: My Mortgage Fell Through On Closing Day. What Now? (Jan. 25, 2022).
Deeds.com: Six Common Reasons House Sales Fall Through (Mar. 7, 2022).
Deeds.com: Navigating the Home Appraisal: A Buyer’s Guide (Jun. 9, 2021).
And as linked.
Photo credits: Andrea Piacquadio and RODNAE Productions, via Pexels.