I am relocating because I have accepted a new job that I have not yet started. How should I complete the application?

Congratulations on your new job! If you will be working for the same employer, complete the application as such but enter the income you anticipate receiving at your new location.

If your employment is with a new employer, complete the application as if this were your current employer and indicate you have been there for one month. The information about the employment you will be leaving should be entered as a previous employer. We will sort out the details after you submit your loan for approval.

I am selling my current home to purchase this home. What type of documentation will be required?

If you are selling your current home to purchase your new home, we will ask you to provide a copy of the settlement or closing statement you will receive at the closing to verify your current mortgage has been paid in full and that you will have sufficient funds for our closing. Often the closing of your current home is scheduled for the same day as the closing of your new home. If that's the case, we will ask you to bring your settlement statement with you to your new mortgage closing.

I am receiving a gift from someone else. Is this an acceptable source of my down payment?

Gifts are an acceptable source of down payment, if the gift giver is related to you or your co-borrower. We will ask you for the name, address, and phone number of the gift giver, as well as the donor's relationship to you.

If your loan request is for more than 80% of the purchase price, we will need to verify you have at least 5% of the property's value in your own assets.

Prior to closing, we will verify the gift funds have been transferred to you by obtaining a copy of your bank receipt or deposit slip to verify you have deposited the gift funds into your account.

If my property's appraised value is more than the purchase price can I use the difference towards my down payment?

If you are purchasing a home, we will use the lower of the appraised value or the sales price to determine your down payment requirement.

It is still a great benefit for your financial situation if you are able to purchase a home for less than the appraised value; however our investors do not allow us to use this "instant equity" when making our loan decision.

I have had a few employers in the last few years. Will that affect my ability to get a new mortgage?

Having changed employers frequently is typically not a hindrance to obtaining a new mortgage loan. This is particularly true if you made employment changes without having periods of time in between without employment. We will also look at your income advancements as you have changed employment.

If you are paid on a commission basis, a recent job change may be an issue since we will have a difficult time predicting your earnings without a history with your new employer.

I have income from dividends and/or interest. What documents will I need to provide?

Generally, two years personal tax returns are required to verify the amount of your dividend and/or interest income so an average of the amounts you receive can be calculated. In addition, we will need to verify your ownership of the assets which generate the income using copies of statements from your financial institution, brokerage statements, stock certificates or Promissory Notes.

Typically, income from dividends and/or interest must be expected to continue for at least three years to be considered for repayment.

How will rental income be verified?

If you own rental properties, we will generally ask for the most recent year's federal tax return to verify your rental income. We will review the Schedule E of the tax return to verify your rental income, after all expenses except depreciation. Since depreciation is only a paper loss, it will not be counted against your rental income.

If you have not owned the rental property for a complete tax year, we will ask for a copy of any executed leases and estimate the expenses of ownership.