{"id":6284,"date":"2022-08-24T14:27:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T19:27:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/?p=6284"},"modified":"2022-08-25T11:25:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-25T16:25:00","slug":"first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home","title":{"rendered":"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sort out your finances *before* getting pre-approved<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are looking to restart your search for a home, it can be tempting to jump straight into getting a pre-approval. But you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first, as it\u2019ll give you a more realistic snapshot of what you can afford in a fast-changing market. Some areas to focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Take a close look at your entire financial profile, including credit score, income, assets and debt. It\u2019ll also give you a head start on collecting the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/money-matters\/youll-need-these-documents-to-apply-for-a-mortgage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">documentation you\u2019ll need to apply<\/a> for a mortgage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. If you\u2019re a homeowner already, first determine how much equity you have. Talk to a realtor about what to expect: What might your home sell for? How long will it take? Do I have to sell before I can buy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. For first-time homebuyers setting a budget, remember to factor in the additional costs of homeownership beyond your monthly mortgage payment. That includes things like home maintenance costs, insurance and property taxes, among others that are easy to overlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking these extra steps can set you up better for a successful homebuying journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Robert Heck, Vice President of Mortgage @&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Morty<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more of Rob&#8217;s recent insights:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1001\" height=\"801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5787.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5787.png 1001w, https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5787-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5787-768x615.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1001px) 100vw, 1001px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">What is home equity and how to tap into it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2022\/08\/11\/mortgage-rates-bounce-back-strong-employment-inflation-data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1001\" height=\"801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5789.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5789.png 1001w, https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5789-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5789-768x615.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1001px) 100vw, 1001px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2022\/08\/11\/mortgage-rates-bounce-back-strong-employment-inflation-data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mortgage rates bounce back on strong employment and inflation data<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/picks\/what-is-a-good-credit-score-to-get-a-home-loan-01660596699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1002\" height=\"801\" src=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5788.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5788.png 1002w, https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5788-300x240.png 300w, https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Group-5788-768x614.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1002px) 100vw, 1002px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/picks\/what-is-a-good-credit-score-to-get-a-home-loan-01660596699\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What is a good credit score to get a home loan?<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In case you missed it&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When you\u2019re ready to move forward with getting pre-approved, here\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/mortgage-101\/how-to-get-preapproved-for-a-mortgage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">everything you\u2019ll need to know<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Broker or lender? Here are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/mortgage-101\/mortgage-broker-vs-mortgage-lender\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the pros and cons of each<\/a>, with guidance on when to choose one over the other.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stand out with speed.&nbsp;<\/strong>Eligible buyers can close in as few as 14 business days with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/expedited-closing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Morty\u2019s Quick Close Advantage<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background-color:#299490\" class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div style=\"height:39px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-white-color has-text-color has-diatype-font-family has-small-font-size\" style=\"letter-spacing:1.5px\"><strong>QUICK CLOSE ADVANTAGE<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:90%\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-white-color has-text-color has-larger-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.5\"><strong>Close in as little as 14 business days.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-theme-palette-3-color has-white-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/expedited-closing\" style=\"border-radius:100px\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CHECK ELIGIBILITY<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are looking to restart your search for a home, it can be tempting to jump straight into getting a pre-approval. But you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first, as it\u2019ll give you a more realistic snapshot of what you can afford in a fast-changing market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":6290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[611],"tags":[74,43,79,564,57],"series":[562],"class_list":["post-6284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-morty-report","tag-credit-score","tag-down-payment","tag-first-time-homebuyers","tag-mortgage-rates","tag-pre-approval","series-the-morty-report-newsletter"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home | Morty Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can be tempting to jump straight into getting pre-approved when you start your home search -- but you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first. Here&#039;s what to know before getting a pre-approval.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home | Morty Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It can be tempting to jump straight into getting pre-approved when you start your home search -- but you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first. Here&#039;s what to know before getting a pre-approval.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Morty Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HiMorty\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-24T19:27:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-25T16:25:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1209\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"hannah@morty.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@himorty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@himorty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"hannah@morty.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"hannah@morty.com\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/cddd3e9e64a6aecd050c298f06c97947\"},\"headline\":\"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-24T19:27:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-25T16:25:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\"},\"wordCount\":320,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Credit Score\",\"Down Payment\",\"First Time Homebuyers\",\"Mortgage Rates\",\"Pre-Approval\"],\"articleSection\":[\"The Morty Report\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\",\"name\":\"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home | Morty Resources\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-24T19:27:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-25T16:25:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"It can be tempting to jump straight into getting pre-approved when you start your home search -- but you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first. Here's what to know before getting a pre-approval.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png\",\"width\":2150,\"height\":1209},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Resources\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Morty Report\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/category\/the-morty-report\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/\",\"name\":\"Morty Resources\",\"description\":\"Mortgage resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Morty\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cropped-morty-logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cropped-morty-logo.webp\",\"width\":1293,\"height\":516,\"caption\":\"Morty\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HiMorty\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/himorty\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/morty-inc.\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/cddd3e9e64a6aecd050c298f06c97947\",\"name\":\"hannah@morty.com\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd73779427aa7a419cafbe9f3a4ea671?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd73779427aa7a419cafbe9f3a4ea671?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"hannah@morty.com\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home | Morty Resources","description":"It can be tempting to jump straight into getting pre-approved when you start your home search -- but you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first. Here's what to know before getting a pre-approval.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home | Morty Resources","og_description":"It can be tempting to jump straight into getting pre-approved when you start your home search -- but you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first. Here's what to know before getting a pre-approval.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home","og_site_name":"Morty Resources","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HiMorty\/","article_published_time":"2022-08-24T19:27:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-25T16:25:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2150,"height":1209,"url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"hannah@morty.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@himorty","twitter_site":"@himorty","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"hannah@morty.com","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home"},"author":{"name":"hannah@morty.com","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/cddd3e9e64a6aecd050c298f06c97947"},"headline":"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home","datePublished":"2022-08-24T19:27:35+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-25T16:25:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home"},"wordCount":320,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png","keywords":["Credit Score","Down Payment","First Time Homebuyers","Mortgage Rates","Pre-Approval"],"articleSection":["The Morty Report"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home","url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home","name":"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home | Morty Resources","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png","datePublished":"2022-08-24T19:27:35+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-25T16:25:00+00:00","description":"It can be tempting to jump straight into getting pre-approved when you start your home search -- but you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first. Here's what to know before getting a pre-approval.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png","width":2150,"height":1209},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/the-morty-report\/first-steps-before-you-buy-a-home#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Resources","item":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Morty Report","item":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/category\/the-morty-report"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Ready, set, prep: first steps before you buy a home"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/","name":"Morty Resources","description":"Mortgage resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#organization","name":"Morty","url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cropped-morty-logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/cropped-morty-logo.webp","width":1293,"height":516,"caption":"Morty"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HiMorty\/","https:\/\/x.com\/himorty","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/morty-inc."]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/cddd3e9e64a6aecd050c298f06c97947","name":"hannah@morty.com","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd73779427aa7a419cafbe9f3a4ea671?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd73779427aa7a419cafbe9f3a4ea671?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"hannah@morty.com"}}]}},"modified_by":"Nora Apsel","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":611,"label":"The Morty Report"}],"post_tag":[{"value":74,"label":"Credit Score"},{"value":43,"label":"Down Payment"},{"value":79,"label":"First Time Homebuyers"},{"value":564,"label":"Mortgage Rates"},{"value":57,"label":"Pre-Approval"}],"series":[{"value":562,"label":"Series: The Morty Report"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"hannah@morty.com","author_link":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/author\/hannahmorty-com"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":611,"name":"The Morty Report","slug":"the-morty-report","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":611,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":52,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":611,"category_count":52,"category_description":"","cat_name":"The Morty Report","category_nicename":"the-morty-report","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":74,"name":"Credit Score","slug":"credit-score","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":74,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":38,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":43,"name":"Down Payment","slug":"down-payment","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":43,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":34,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":79,"name":"First Time Homebuyers","slug":"first-time-homebuyers","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":79,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":56,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":564,"name":"Mortgage Rates","slug":"mortgage-rates","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":564,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":121,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":57,"name":"Pre-Approval","slug":"pre-approval","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":57,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw"}],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-600x600.png","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png",2150,1209,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png",2150,1209,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png",2150,1209,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-300x169.png",300,169,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-1024x576.png",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-1536x864.png",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-2048x1152.png",2048,1152,true],"gb-block-post-grid-landscape":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-600x400.png",600,400,true],"gb-block-post-grid-square":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-600x600.png",600,600,true],"yarpp-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22-120x120.png",120,120,true],"rt_custom":["https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/8.22.png",2150,1209,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"hannah@morty.com","author_link":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/author\/hannahmorty-com"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/category\/the-morty-report\" rel=\"category tag\">The Morty Report<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"If you are looking to restart your search for a home, it can be tempting to jump straight into getting a pre-approval. But you may want to spend some time sorting out your finances first, as it\u2019ll give you a more realistic snapshot of what you can afford in a fast-changing market.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6284"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11751,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6284\/revisions\/11751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6284"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.morty.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=6284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}