Check your credit

Get a copy of your credit report from Equifax.com (or a similar service). Double-check every item listed and if there are any errors or omissions, contact your credit bureau to change them.

Do the math

Now that you have an idea of how much you owe, gather up all of your information on your assets (your current home, investments, stocks, bonds, other properties) and add them up. Hint: it’s best when you own more than you owe. Your real estate broker can refer you to a mortgage specialist or you can choose your own..

Prequalify

Meet with a bank or lender. They’ll ask you some questions that may point out some things you missed in your initial estimate, like liabilities – or assets you didn’t realize you had. Using all this information, they’ll give you a rough estimate of how much you can borrow. However, this informal process isn’t a guarantee or a pre-approval. It’s simply a way to help you gauge the properties you can afford and figure out if you’re ready to make this type of financial commitment.

Choose a lender

A mortgage is one of the biggest financial commitments you can make, so it pays to shop around. Even if you have an excellent relationship with your bank, there’s no harm in exploring the option of obtaining financing from another company.

Get pre-approved

Getting mortgage pre-approval is similar to pre-qualifying, but the result is an approval from a lender for a specific amount, locked into an interest rate for a period of time (normally 90 to 120 days).

So there you have it—the simple steps to get you closer to a mortgage that not only works for you but also gets you into the home of your dreams.