Pre-approval for a Mortgage

Hi everyone. My husband and I have just started the house hunting process and we want to get pre-approved for a mortgage. I am really starting from scratch here and know absolutely nothing about buying a home but from what Ive read on here this is the first step. I was wondering if it makes a difference if we go to the bank and sit down with someone or if we do it online through a bank (you can do it online with HSBC). On hsbc.com it says: Your pre-approval also includes all the necessary credit and information checks, so it's a real approval. And best of all, there are absolutely no up front fees, so you can shop for your new home without any unnecessary hassles or obligations.
So in the end does it matter how we get our preapproval? Thanks for all the help!!

Re: Pre-approval for a Mortgage

in the end it doesn't matter who does your pre-approval (whether online, bank or broker). From our experience, we found a bank the best for us. We used HSBC and are extremely happy with our choice. Personally something like that I wouldn't do online because I wouldn't want to enter so much personal information online. When you get pre-approved, they need the last 2 years worth of W2's, last 2 pay stubs, etc. I didn't want to give this stuff online. With HSBC they came right to our house and we were pre-approved in 5 days.

Re: Pre-approval for a Mortgage

Re: Pre-approval for a Mortgage

we did ours over the phone and it only took about 15-20 min. they emailed us the pre-approval the same day. we used WaMu

Message edited 1/30/2008 12:44:07 PM.

Re: Pre-approval for a Mortgage

I just got mine at Wells Fargo, the guy was VERY nice I can give you his name.