To get pre-approved, provide financial documents like income statements and credit history to a lender, who will assess your eligibility and offer a pre-approval letter. Getting pre-approved is straightforward, but it requires actual documentation. We’ll need recent pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, and information about any other debts or assets.

Don’t bother with those online pre-qualification tools that ask for your income and give you an instant answer—they’re basically useless. A real pre-approval means an underwriter has reviewed your file and confirmed that you qualify for a specific loan amount. That’s what sellers and real estate agents want to see, especially in a competitive market.