3 Onerous Things Our Mortgage Lender Made Us Track Down

3 Onerous Things Our Mortgage Lender Made Us Track Down

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Updated · 3 min read
Profile photo of Sara Rathner
Written by Sara Rathner
Senior Writer/Spokesperson
Profile photo of Kenley Young
Edited by Kenley Young
Managing Editor

When my husband and I put in an offer on a house in September 2019, I figured the hardest part would be saying goodbye to a decade’s worth of savings to afford the down payment.

That part was difficult. But so was the document-hunting beyond the typical paper trail like bank statements and tax returns our lender required.

Granted, our situation was complex: We’d casually attended an open house and fallen in love with the home, but we hadn’t even sought a mortgage preapproval yet. So we were approaching the process a bit out of order and were underprepared for the paper chase that ensued as a result. Add to that a seller who wanted to close quickly, and we were in for a total scramble to the finish line.

We got the loan, but here’s what I wish we’d been better prepared to track down or explain.

Mortgage loans from our partners

NBKC - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on NBKC

NBKC

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
NBKC - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on NBKC

New American Funding - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on New American Funding

New American Funding

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
New American Funding - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
500

Min. down payment 
3.5%

Check Rate

on New American Funding

GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

GO Mortgage

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

Mortgage loans from our partners

NBKC - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on NBKC

NBKC

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
NBKC - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on NBKC

New American Funding - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on New American Funding

New American Funding

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
New American Funding - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
500

Min. down payment 
3.5%

Check Rate

on New American Funding

GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

GO Mortgage

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
GO Mortgage - PURCHASE logo

4.0

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
620

Min. down payment 
3%

Check Rate

on GO Mortgage

Rocket Mortgage - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on Rocket Mortgage

Rocket Mortgage

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Rocket Mortgage - PURCHASE logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Min. credit score 
580

Min. down payment 
3.5%

Check Rate

on Rocket Mortgage

Veterans United - PURCHASE logo
Check Rate

on Veterans United

Veterans United

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Veterans United - PURCHASE logo