"I've seen deals fall apart because buyers thought they were good to go, only to find out later their debt-to-income ratio was off or their credit score had dipped slightly."
Yep, been there myself—thought we were golden until underwriting flagged some random student loan payment I'd totally forgotten about. Definitely worth chatting with a lender first, even informally... saves a lot of stress later.
Yeah, informal chats with lenders can help, but honestly, a quick informal convo isn't always enough. I'd suggest a clear step-by-step approach: first, pull your own credit report and double-check for surprises (forgotten cards, loans, etc.). Then run your numbers through an online debt-to-income calculator yourself. After that, sit down formally with a lender to confirm your findings—trust me, better to uncover issues early than have underwriting ruin the deal later on.
Totally agree with double-checking your own credit first. A friend of mine skipped that step and found out mid-process that someone had opened a random store card in her name years ago...talk about stressful. But I'm curious, has anyone here ever actually winged it, found their dream home first, and still managed to smoothly sort out financing afterward? Seems risky, but maybe it works out sometimes?
Honestly, winging it sounds like the plot of a horror movie to me... But hey, if you're feeling adventurous, at least get a quick online estimate first—better than nothing and might save you from heartbreak later.
Winging it definitely sounds risky to me too. A few years back, I stumbled onto a home that checked every single box—perfect neighborhood, great layout, even the backyard was ideal. But I hadn't gotten pre-approved yet and someone else swooped in with an offer ready to go. Learned my lesson the hard way. At minimum, having a quick online estimate or better yet, pre-approval, can save you from kicking yourself later...trust me on this one.
