Nothing here is a surprise if you know it is coming. Here is the whole sequence, including the parts that are yours rather than ours.
About ten minutes on Southwest Funding’s secure HomeHub. You can save and return, and upload documents by scanning them with your phone. No fee to apply.
Ryan reviews your credit, income and assets and comes back with what you qualify for and what the payment looks like. This is where you get a pre-approval letter to shop with.
Your agent writes the offer with the pre-approval attached. If the offer price moves, tell Ryan — the letter can be reissued the same day.
The appraisal is ordered, title work begins, and your documentation is verified. This is the stage where responding quickly genuinely shortens your closing.
An underwriter reviews the whole file. Requests for additional documents at this stage are routine, not a bad sign — almost every loan gets some.
You receive your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before signing. Review it against what you were quoted, sign, fund, and the home is yours.
Every one of these is preventable, and every one of them shows up regularly.
The most common avoidable problem is applying after an offer is already accepted. By then the clock is running and there is no room left for a surprise.
Pre-approval costs nothing and does not commit you to anything. It just means that when you do find the right place, you are ready to move on it.
The secure application runs on Southwest Funding’s HomeHub. You can save and come back to it, and upload documents straight from your phone.