When you are serious about buying a home, you’ll want to be pre-approved for a mortgage, which is a more involved process than pre-qualification. You’ll submit paperwork that will verify your employment and income, as well as a number of other documents that detail your financial life. You can find a list of common documents you’ll need in our guide on mortgage pre-approval. If you get pre-approved, you can let sellers know. They’ll then consider you a serious buyer.
