You're early in the home search process so while we have started looking at houses, you haven't secured a pre-approval letter yet.
We have looked at 10 houses thus far, and while we have seen some pretty good options, we haven't found anything that has been an ideal fit for you and your family.
And then... the perfect house hits the market...
We go see the house, you love it as much as we both know you will even before we walk in the door.
But you still don't have that pre-approval letter.
While you are calling a lender to work on your pre-approval, other buyers are writing offers on this fresh new listing.
Why?
Because (as a buyer recently pointed out to me) the perfect house for you is likely to be the perfect house for others.
Whatever your combination of ideals is for a house... related to size, style, location, price, layout, finishes... there are likely other buyers who have those same ideals.
So... if the perfect house for you might hit the market any day now (it's springtime, so yes, it's quite possible) then I encourage you to go ahead and get pre-approved for a mortgage now rather than later.
When the perfect house hits the market, I want you to be in the "drafting an offer" club... not in the "still needs to talk to a lender" club.