--- title: What Does the Mortgage Application Process Really Look Like? description: Learn how the mortgage application process works, from soft credit check to closing, plus how to avoid delays. authors: - name: Aly J. Yale role: Contributing Reporter url: https://money.com/author/aly-j-yale/ bio: Aly J. Yale is a freelance finance journalist with deep experience covering mortgages, real estate and the housing market, as well as investing, lending and retirement topics. She has paid off her student loans, bought two houses, and traveled to seven different countries with her two young sons all through smart money management. For Money, she has researched and written many best of rankings in the housing and mortgage space, including reverse mortgages, VA loans and home equity. Her work in The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Experian, Fortune, Business Insider, CBS and Money.com. education: Texas Christian University at_money_since: 2020 articles: 106 covers: - Mortgages - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Loans - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement also_seen_in: - The Wall Street Journal - Business Insider - Yahoo Finance - US News & World Report - CBS social: - https://twitter.com/AlyJwriter - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyjyale/ editors: - name: Leslie Cook role: Editor, Real Estate url: https://money.com/author/leslie-cook/ bio: Leslie Cook is Money’s lead real estate editor covering trends in the housing market, mortgage rates and real estate. She also writes about home renovation trends and tips. education: Bryn Mawr College, BA History certifications: Certified Personal Finance Counselor at_money_since: 2019 articles: 800 covers: - Mortgages - Banking - Credit - Economy and Politics - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Loans - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/LeslieLCook - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-cook-9829b9198/ published: '2026-10-28T12:37:05.000Z' modified: '2026-10-28T12:37:05.000Z' section: Mortgages word_count: 1915 canonical: https://money.com/mortgage-application-process/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We earned a fee from a featured brand for publishing this content. Compensation does not determine ranking. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Couple looking at tablet](https://img.money.com/2026/09/Mortgage-process-aplication.jpg) ## Key Takeaways - Mortgage applications move from a soft credit check to prequalification, preapproval, underwriting, appraisal and closing; most borrowers apply online. - Online applications take 10 to 15 minutes to complete; tools such as bank linking and automatic document pulls vary by lender. - Missing paperwork is the top hurdle, per Veterans United's Katie Rose; have pay stubs, W-2s, two years of tax returns and bank statements ready. For many homebuyers, applying for a mortgage can feel daunting, especially if it's your first loan. But the application process has become much easier than the days of making copies and hauling boxes of documents. Although you'll still need to provide plenty of paperwork, from income verification to credit reports, most loan applications can be completed online in minutes, especially with an experienced lender to guide you through every step. Not every mortgage is the same, though, nor is every mortgage application. Here’s what to expect when you apply for a mortgage, and how it can differ from lender to lender (or even loan to loan). ## How the mortgage application process works The conventional mortgage application process is usually pretty straightforward. You start by clicking an apply button, submitting a lead, and providing basic information: whether you want a purchase or refinance loan, your name, location, Social Security number, and income. Using that information, the lender will run a soft credit check and prequalify you for a loan amount based on that preliminary information. Somewhere along this timeline (it varies by lender), you'll be asked to create an account on the lender's loan portal. On this secure site, you can upload all required documents if you decide to continue with the application. At this point, you'll need to provide all required documentation, including your most recent pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns for the last two years, and bank statements. Your lender will provide a full list of the documents you'll need to complete your application. Once you've submitted all the paperwork, the lender reviews it and can issue a preapproval letter, which provides a more accurate estimate of how much you can borrow than a prequalification. An underwriter will then verify all the information you've provided and ensure your application meets all the loan requirements. If it does, the lender will usually send an appraiser to assess the home's value, then move the loan to closing. This is when you finalize the loan documents and pay any closing costs. That process can get more complicated with a government-backed loan like an FHA loan, and even more so with a specialized loan like a VA mortgage, which has additional service and documentation requirements. It can become even more complicated for borrowers stationed overseas or being assigned to new duty stations. Fortunately, most lenders let you complete your mortgage application online, which is the most popular option among today’s borrowers, according to Katie Rose, NMLS 860643, a senior loan officer with Veterans United. "Most people like to do \[the application\] online because they don't have to leave their house or they're active duty and it's difficult to go into a facility," Rose says. ## How applications vary across lenders A mortgage application does two things: verify who you (and your co-borrower) are and ensure you can cover your mortgage payment for the foreseeable future. That means every application will ask for information about your job, income, assets, debts and credit. It will also need info about the price range you’re shopping in (or the property you’re eyeing, if you’ve already found one) and your personal details, like name, Social Security Number and contact info. That doesn’t mean every application is the same, though. As Rose explains, the information collected stays pretty much the same from lender to lender; the difference comes down to the tools built into the application. "Some tools can link bank accounts and pull statements automatically, or upload documents right from your phone, so you're not chasing down paperwork on your own," Rose says. "Specialized lenders can often go a step further too. For military borrowers, that might mean verifying service-related eligibility automatically instead of tracking down paperwork yourself." Money reviewed the loan application processes of four national lenders: loanDepot, Veterans United Home Loans, Churchill Mortgage and Georgia's Own Credit Union. This is how their applications work: ### loanDepot The loanDepot application is a streamlined seven-step process that requires personal info, property details, financial assets, and other basics found in other loan apps. It also includes secure bank linking, allowing the lender to automatically pull bank and asset statements instead of requiring the borrower to scan and upload them manually. Its conclusion is the most notable part of loanDepot’s application process. Instead of simply entering your information and hitting submit, at the end of the application, borrowers are given a grid of “loan offers.” These detail the loans, terms, monthly payments, and interest rates loanDepot is offering you based on the details you just input. You can then choose the loan that works best for you. For veteran and military applicants, loanDepot also asks some additional questions regarding military service and can pull their COE directly from the VA. ### Veterans United Veterans United is a mortgage lender specializing in VA loans, mortgages backed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As such, it’s no surprise that its mortgage application process has a military slant. Veterans United has developed an application that simplifies and accelerates the process. You'll provide information about your pay, grade, years of service, branch, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, and Expiration Term of Service (ETS) dates. However, automation is what makes the application and review process stand out. You can link your myPay account directly to the Veterans United myVU app, letting them access your Leave and Earnings Statement and bank statements in minutes instead of waiting for you to upload them. The lender will also instantly pull the applicant’s Certificate of Eligibility (COE) directly from the VA, a process that can take a non-VA lender several days. Once you submit an application, a Veterans United loan officer will contact you within a couple of hours to finalize a plan. Overall, Veterans United’s application is quick and streamlined. You can complete it entirely online, though you can get help by phone if you need it. The process took us about 15 minutes, though you could get a preapproval decision in as little as 12 minutes. ### Churchill Mortgage Churchill Mortgage also offers an efficient, streamlined mortgage app. The online application takes about 15 minutes (it may take slightly longer if you add a spouse or co-borrower) and requires similar information about housing history, personal info, property details, work history, and more. Using the information you provide, you'll work with a loan specialist to discuss your options, which can include conventional, FHA and VA loans. One standout element of Churchill’s process is that, after you submit, you’re sent to your personal dashboard, where you can see your remaining to-dos. You can also run payment calculations, connect your bank accounts, upload documentation, and monitor your loan application’s progress. **VA loan process** If you're seeking a VA loan, you'll indicate military service in the application. You'll then be asked to enter what branch you served in and for how long. This lets the loan officer know a VA loan may be an option for your purchase. If you choose a VA loan, you'll be asked for additional information. There are also questions about whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or if you’ve taken a homebuyer education course (the answers to these can affect your loan options and pricing, a Churchill rep says). ### Georgia's Own Credit Union Georgia's Own Credit Union has a streamlined application for all their loan types, but we looked at their FHA process. The application takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete if you have all your documents on hand. A borrower starts the initial application process through the credit union's website by answering four basic questions: whether you want to buy a home or refinance it, your existing debts, your gross monthly income and the state you live in. You'll then be asked whether you're a first-time or repeat buyer, the address and zip code of the property, the type of home, the number of units, purchase price and down payment. With this basic information, you will get an initial estimate of your loan amount. Answer a few more questions about your credit score, whether you served in the military, how long you plan to stay in the home, and whether it will be your primary residence. You'll then be given a loan estimate for a 30-year and 15-year FHA loan. You can click a button to see a list of estimated closing costs, and you can also see how your loan estimate changes if you decide to buy points to lower your quoted rate. If you choose one of the offered options, click a button to start the full application. You'll need to create a credit union account, where you can securely upload all required documents (pay stubs, W-2s, bank statements, etc.) and track your loan. After you submit your application, a loan officer will contact you within a day to discuss next steps, including starting underwriting and scheduling an appraisal. ## Common hurdles and how to make your mortgage application go more smoothly Though loan applications can vary slightly by lender, mortgage professionals say a few common snags are universal. Documentation is the big one. No matter the lender, mortgage applications require a lot of paperwork to back up your information. You need tax returns, bank statements, pay stubs, statements for your investment and retirement accounts, and more. If you don't have these pulled and organized before applying, it could hold up your application and delay underwriting. Depending on market conditions, you could even miss out on a lower interest rate. “Documents seem to be the biggest hiccup,” Rose says. “If everybody's got their documentation ready, it makes for smooth sailing.” You don’t necessarily need physical copies of everything, though. Digital versions can work — but make sure you can access those items easily before starting your application. “Know how to log into the various things. Your bank account or the payroll service that your employer uses, for example,” says Chris DeRuischer, home loan specialist at Churchill. “Can you log in and get a copy of your 401(k) statement? It might not all be requested, but just knowing the log-ins and having all of that organized is very helpful.” Frozen credit is another common issue in the application process. Lenders almost always need to pull a borrower’s credit to verify debts and assess how they pay and manage bills. If their credit is frozen, a common strategy to stave off identity theft and fraudulent charges, it can stop an application in its tracks. “It’s a pretty popular thing to do,” DeRuischer says. “If you have your credit frozen, you will need to go on the app with each of the bureaus, unfreeze your credit score, thaw those, and then we'll be able to pull the credit report after that.” Deruischer recommends keeping your credit unfrozen for at least 30 days, since most lenders will need to re-pull credit just before closing. (They often do this to make sure nothing major has changed about your debts or payment history since applying.) Ray Hicks, home loan specialist at Churchill Mortgage, also notes that getting hung up on the nitty-gritty details can hold an application back, too. While you should always enter the most accurate numbers and data possible, a few slightly off details won't derail your mortgage. “What I tell my clients when filling out their application is to do their best,” Hicks says. “They aren’t going to mess anything up. 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