Different Approaches to Pre-Approvals

Tracy Head • March 22, 2024

As a mortgage broker I am able to work with clients all over BC. I grew up in Mackenzie, a small community in northern BC, and still have ties to the area.


I worked with the realtors there before I moved to the Okanagan, and we continue to work together over fifteen years later.

This week we’ve seen a surge in homes selling in Mackenzie and I’ve had interesting conversations with both of the realtors I work with.


They had questions around how I figure out price points for clients when I am working on a pre-approval. More specifically, they asked about whether or not I collected documents from my clients before they had an accepted offer to purchase.

My answer was that I absolutely gather the bulk of the documents we will need ahead of sending my clients out shopping. 

I also pull credit reports about 95 per cent of the time before I send people out looking for a home.


Why?


Even with clients that I know to be squeaky clean and solid financially, over the years I’ve had to deal with surprises that might have affected their approval.


Recently I was working with a client that has been with the same employer for 25 years, has over $300,000 in his account, and whose credit score was 821 (900 is a perfect score). Slam dunk, right?


As it turned out, he has a fairly common name. At the very bottom of his credit report was an outstanding collection to an insurance provider. I was surprised to see it as I know he is meticulous with his finances.


He had never had any dealings with that particular company, and it took him almost three weeks to get confirmation from the company that it was not his debt, and another few days to have his credit bureau corrected.


Another client I worked with had everything in order and looked like she was ready to write an offer at the $650,000 price point. 

I pulled her credit report and found a vehicle loan with a payment of $785 per month. When I asked her about it she said she hadn’t mentioned it because she didn’t make the payments. She had co-signed a loan for her daughter. 


When you co-sign a loan, you are jointly and severally responsible for the amount outstanding. That means that should the other person ever default on a payment you are responsible for making the payment.


This means that we have to factor that payment in when calculating what you qualify to borrow. In her case, this dropped her purchase price considerably.


I’ve also run into situations where clients tell me how much they earn, and when they send their documents in the T4s and paystubs don’t support what they’ve told me. In one case the gentleman said he told me what he figured he would make this year.

As a general rule lenders won’t use predicted income (other than a few specialty products); they work with historical information and what can be confirmed via employment letters and contracts.

So why is all of this important?


If I send you out shopping for a home, I want to be certain that I am able to arrange a suitable option for you. If I send you out shopping for a home, you get excited about the possibilities and write an offer. Now the sellers of that home are also excited and are out looking for their next property.


We’ve tied up two or potentially more homes, and realtors have spent hours working to show homes and make magic happen to bring offers together.


If I haven’t done my due diligence and missed something that will affect your approval we have wasted a lot of time and energy for everyone involved.


Sometimes clients just want to know generally the price point they are looking at and want to know if there is anything they need to deal with before heading out shopping. If they are looking at buying a home six months or a year down the road it is a different conversation and I don’t ask for documents upfront.


When you are working on a pre-approval and your mortgage person asks for a full document package upfront, don’t roll your eyes. Fully disclose your financial situation. This helps us put you in the best position to be successful once you’ve found a home you love.


PSA: If you haven’t already dealt with the Speculation Tax Declaration, take a minute and do it today.

Tracy Head

Mortgage Broker

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By Tracy Head May 19, 2025
I know this is a dumb question but ….  I should probably know this already …. I’m sorry to ask so many questions but …. So many times clients start out with one of these statements. They feel like they should have a better understanding of the mortgage process or terminology. The truth is that buying a home is not a simple journey. Applying for a mortgage is not a cake walk. And even if you’ve been through the process in the past the goal posts seem to move faster than you can keep up. One of the reasons I love (most days) my work is that I am able to spend as much time as I need with my clients helping them understand their financing. When I worked for one of the chartered banks in a previous life I was so tightly scheduled that when our time was up that was it. Someone else had an appointment that I needed to be on time for. Clients have different learning and communication styles. Some come well-versed and understand the mortgage process; others have not done any research and need a lot of hand-holding. My goal is to make sure that by the time they are signing their legal paperwork in front of their lawyer my clients understand the decisions they have made and the rationale behind them. Whether it is the first time you are buying a home or you are looking to refinance your current mortgage it is important that you find a professional to work with that is patient and non-judgmental. In a beautiful world you connect with someone that has bought and sold a few of their own homes and has been working in the mortgage world for a while. It can feel very intimidating to bare your soul to a complete stranger. We often don’t share details of our finances with anyone except our banker / spouse and in some cases I find clients may feel embarrassed about the state of their finances. We see via social media others living lavish lifestyles and somehow feel we should be doing the same. The bottom line is that whether this is your first plunge into the homeownership pool or you are a veteran in the market, it is so important to connect with someone that takes the time to understand your situation and your goals. Knowing your long-term plan and how you handle your finances can help your mortgage professional set you up for success. Please please please make sure you ask all of the questions, even if you think you should know that answers. Guessing that you understand something or bluffing without listening to your mortgage professional’s advice can cause unnecessary grief down the road.
By Tracy Head May 5, 2025
When I work with clients that say they are writing an offer on a private sale I always talk about the benefits of working with a realtor. Realtors do so much legwork that happens behind the scenes that clients aren’t even aware of. Most times it is challenging on my end when clients try to tackle the process of writing an offer on a private sale themselves. I joke and say I am going to charge them an extra fee because of the additional work it creates on our end. I don’t actually charge a fee to be clear but I am only half kidding. When you start down the road of buying a home there are many new and unfamiliar terms you may hear. Whether you are working with a realtor or not, arguably some of the most important things you need to learn about are the “subject to” conditions to include in your offer to purchase. When you write an offer to purchase a home, your realtor will offer guidance as to the conditions you include. Common conditions you will see are:  Subject to arranging suitable financing  Subject to a satisfactory home inspection  Subject to arranging home insurance  Subject to review of strata documents  Subject to the sale of your current home If you are purchasing a rural property or are in a unique situation you may also see:  Subject to a water potability test  Subject to an inspection of the septic system  Subject to the seller finding a suitable home to purchase These lists are not all-encompassing by any means. The purpose of adding conditions to your offer is to protect you in case there are any issues with the home you are looking to purchase. In previous columns I’ve written about the potential dangers of writing a subject-free offer. The high- level, quick position is that if you write a subject-free offer you’d better have cash on hand to buy the home. I have worked with several clients over the last few months that have written private offers. We do absolutely everything ahead of time to try to ensure they will be successful with their financing. These files stress clients more than you can imagine. They have to either find templates to fill out or pay a lawyer or notary to prepare the documents for them. Either way they need to quickly learn about the conditions I listed above and understand key dates involved in the buying process. The clients need to deal directly with the sellers on any issues that may arise. When you are working with a realtor they handle these issues on your behalf. A knowledgeable realtor also helps avoid issues by taking any of the personal contact and emotions out of any potential areas of conflict. Make sure you do your due diligence and have your ducks in a row as you move forward with an offer to purchase whether writing an offer with a realtor or on your own. Now that the sun has come out and the election is over I’ve seen my clients more actively shopping which is encouraging. As always, my advice is to work with a realtor that you are comfortable with and who knows your area well.