Home Buying Basics: How To Get A “Quick Closing” On Your Home Purchase

How long does it take to close on a purchase?  Lately, the number of days is shrinking. As mortgage rates climbed this summer, refinance mortgage demand waned, freeing up lenders to close on purchase home loans more quickly. Data from mortgage software firm Ellie Mae shows that lenders needed 42 days, on average, to close an August purchase. It's a noteworthy reading for today's home buyers. Rate locks of 45 days or fewer incur fewer costs than locks of even one day more.

How To Get Your Purchase Approved More Quickly

For buyers wanting to close quickly, some of the loan factors will be beyond your control. For example, you cannot control how fast an appraisal is performed because the appraisal requires the cooperation of the seller; or how fast a title search is performed by a title company.

However, there are steps you can take to make sure your loan gets approved as fast as humanly possible. Step one is to be prepared.

1. Know Your Paperwork Requirements. It's no secret. Mortgage lenders like paperwork. When you're buying a home, you'll want to be prepared with the most commonly-required verification documents. This can include W-2 statements and federal tax returns from the last 2 years; your two most recent paystubs; and your last two bank statements. You should also have a copy of your drivers license handy, as well as the social security numbers of everyone whose name will be listed on the mortgage. Furthermore, if you know you have a unique credit situation such as a recent short sale or foreclosure; child support or alimony payments; or gift funds from a relative, have the relevant, related documentation ready. This "gathering paperwork" step can be the most time-consuming one in the mortgage approval process. You know you're going to need the documents. Consider scanning them and having them ready in advance. This can save days off your approval time and help you reach your closing more quickly.
2. Don't Keep Secrets From Your Lender. Be honest and open with your lender -- even if you worry that what you share may harm your approval. There are two reasons for this. The first reason to share is that withholding information from your mortgage application can constitute loan fraud, which is a far worse outcome than not getting mortgage approved. The second reason is that your mortgage lender will often uncover what you're electing not to share anyway. As part of the mortgage approval process, a credit check is performed and various "occupancy tests" are conducted by an underwriter. Employers are contacted to verify job status and public records are sometimes checked as part of the approval. With so many mortgage programs available for today's home buyers the more information you share with your lender, the more equipped he'll be to help you close quickly.
3. Use Pre-Approvals To Speed Closing Time. For a buyer, mortgage pre-approvals are among the most under-used tools to speed a purchase closing. Home buyers with pre-approvals in-hand at the time of offer can typically reduce closing times by one week or more. It's because of the role which a pre-approval plays to a lender. Mortgage pre-approvals are "dry runs"; approvals based on an expected set of loan criteria which will eventually go to closing. During the pre-approval process, your lender will take a complete loan application which includes performing an income and asset verification, and he will account for specific loan traits which may affect your final approval such as your personal credit scores, any required child support payments, and the availability of a co-signer, as examples. In fact, when a pre-approval is issued, the only missing item is often the physical property address of the home being purchase. To compensate, lenders use dummy information based on probable loan data including a sample purchase price, a sample real estate tax bill, and a sample homeowners insurance policy and/or homeowners association assessment, where applicable. With their loan "pre-approved", buyers can move immediately from the "Writing The Contract Phase" to the "Underwriting The Loan Phase". This can save 7 days or more days from the approval process.

Home Buyers : Get Pre-Approved Right Now

It can be tough to close on a home in 30 days or fewer. Plenty of people are doing it, though. The trick is to be prepared. The first step is to get mortgage pre-approved.