If you are in the military and recently received your Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders to Hawaii, first of all, thank you for your service, and second of all, congrats! You are about to live and work on one of the most beautiful islands in the world.
This also probably means you are looking for real estate in Hawaii. And it also probably means that you should utilize your VA Loan benefit to purchase a home. If this sounds like you, then we would recommend you get pre-approved for your VA Loan prior to completely moving to Hawaii.
Moving creates a lot of stress as you are changing your life, and if you have a family that means it impacts them as well. By getting pre-approved before you get to the island, you are alleviating some of that pressure that goes with making such a big transition. The quicker the home loan process is for you, the quicker you and your family are in their home.
So, how do you make that happen?
Simply give Element Mortgage a call and one of our mortgage consultants can walk you through the pre-qualification process via the phone. During this time, a conversation about your monthly income and total assets will be discussed and an estimate on your monthly payment can be produced. However, if you really want to solidify things before you start looking for homes, then consider taking the time to get pre-approved.
A pre-approval takes a little more time than a pre-qualification, but it is worth it. Here is why: With a pre-approval, after a mortgage consultant thoroughly reviews your income documentation the lender can more confidently get you a pre-approval, which carries more weight on the market than a pre-qualification. That is because actual financial documentation was reviewed, rather than a simple phone discussion like with a pre-qualification.
The things you will need to get pre-approved can include the following:
- Pay stubs
- Bank statements
- Tax returns
- Certificate of Eligibility for confirming your VA Loan eligibility
Once this process is complete and your documentation has been thoroughly reviewed, then you can obtain a pre-approval, which allows you to look for homes on the market with confidence.
If your PCS orders are sending you to Oahu, make sure to work with a lender like Element Mortgage that knows the market well. We can walk you through each step of the process so that you and your family find the type of home you are looking for utilizing your much-deserved VA Loan benefit.