买第一套房子是你一生中最激动人心的事情之一. 但, 在你签合同拿到新房钥匙之前, 你必须有资格获得抵押贷款, 或者住房贷款. 事实上，最好是申请一个 抵押贷款预批准 在你开始寻找待售房屋之前. 这个过程可能看起来势不可挡，令人生畏, 但了解它的工作原理可以让你放心.

什么是抵押贷款?

抵押贷款是以房地产为抵押的贷款. This type of loan allows you to purchase a home even when you don't have access to the full purchase price in cash. 当你贷款时，你每个月都要还钱. 每次付款都将包括一部分本金, 哪个是贷款的未偿余额, 还有一部分利息.

在大多数情况下, your lender will also make your property tax and home insurance payments on your behalf, 所以你每月还款额的一部分也会用于支付这些费用.

不同类型的按揭 是可用的. 尽管大多数抵押贷款都有相同的基本要求, the type of mortgage you choose will determine the specific requirements you need to meet.

There are two main categories of mortgages: conventional loans and government-backed loans. Conventional loans are loans issued directly by a lender without any backing from a government agency. 政府支持的抵押贷款由政府机构担保或担保, allowing lenders to issue loans based on criteria that is different than conventional loans since the government is insuring a portion of the loan.

按揭资格基础

才有资格 首次置业贷款，你需要满足几个要求. 如果你不能马上见到所有人，也不用担心. 你可以采取一些措施 改善你的财务状况 准备好你的第一笔抵押贷款. Let's discuss the typical requirements you’ll need to meet in order to get a home loan.

收入

Lenders want to know you have a reliable stream of income that will allow you to make your mortgage payments on time. 出于这个原因, 你的贷款人需要核实你每月的收入, 以及它的来源.

可用于申请房屋贷款的收入来源包括:

• 就业所得工资
• 个体经营收入
• 业务收入
• 孩子的抚养费
• 配偶的支持
• 投资收入

储备

贷款人意识到有时会出现财务困难. 正因为如此, 他们想确保你有储备, 或者流动资产, available to cover your mortgage payments if you lose your regular source of income or face other financial problems. 你可以作为储备的资产包括:

• 核对帐户余额
• 储蓄帐户结余
• 共同基金
• 股票或债券
• 退休账户
• 存单

在大多数情况下, your lender will want to see that you have enough assets to cover two or more months of mortgage payments in the event of an emergency. 

债务收入比

Your lender will need to make sure you have enough income not only to cover your mortgage, 但也要支付你的其他循环债务和每月开支. 为了确保, 你的贷款人会计算一个债务收入比, 你的抵押贷款和其他每月债务与你月收入的比例是多少.

Lenders determine both a front-end debt-to-income ratio and a back-end debt-to-income ratio. The front-end DTI ratio is calculated by dividing your potential housing expenses — which may include your future mortgage payment, 抵押贷款保险, 财产税和业主保险——按你的总收入计算. Whereas the back-end DTI ratio includes all required minimum monthly debt payments found on your 信用报告.

计算你的前端DTI比率, 简单地将你的预期月供除以你的月总收入. 计算后端DTI比率, divide the total of your expected mortgage payment and other monthly debts by your gross monthly income.

许多贷方对前端和后端DTI比率都有限制. For example, a front-end DTI ratio of 35% and a back-end DTI ratio of 45% is considered desirable. 更高的DTI比率可能会被批准，但你最终可能会支付更高的利率. 后端DTI比率达到50%的情况很少得到批准.

信贷

所有的抵押贷款机构都会看你的信用报告和信用评分. 你的信用报告提供了有关你当前债务和信用历史的信息. It shows the balances of all of your open accounts, as well as your payment history for each account. 如果你在过去的几年里申请过破产, 或者如果你有收款账户, 这个信息也出现了.

Your credit score is a three-digit number that indicates your level of risk as a borrower. 你的分数越高, the more confident your lender will be in your ability to repay your loan without any problems. 如果你的分数很低, 你可能没有资格获得贷款, 或者你可能被迫支付更高的利率.

在一般情况下, you can qualify for a home loan under most programs as long as your credit score is at least 620. 如果你的信用评分低于620分, you may still be able to qualify for a government-backed Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan, 尤其是如果你能付一大笔首付款的话.

首付

在很多情况下，当你买房子的时候，你会被要求付首付款. 理想情况下，贷款人希望首付款等于购买价格的20%. 然而，有零首付和低首付贷款可供选择.

如果你的首付款较少，你可能会被要求付款 私人按揭保险(PMI)，这将增加你每月的按揭付款. Mortgage insurance is designed to protect the lender if you stop making your loan payments for some reason.

提高你获得住房贷款资格的机会

如果你担心你没有资格获得抵押贷款，不要绝望. 无论问题是什么，你都可以采取措施来改善你作为借款人的形象. 即使你已经符合基本的按揭资格要求, you may still decide to take some actions to increase your chances of getting the best interest rate possible. Here are a couple of tips to help you strengthen your mortgage application and get the loan you need. 

提高你的信用评分.

如果你目前的信用评分太低，没有资格申请抵押贷款(低于620), 或者如果你想提高你的信用评分来降低你的利率, 你可以努力对你的信用报告做出积极的改变.

例如，如果你有信用卡债务，偿还一些余额可以 提高你的信用评分. 每月减少你的余额会降低你的信用利用率, 您的未偿余额与可用信贷的比率是多少. 理想情况下，这个比例不应超过30%.

You can also 提高你的信用评分 by making sure you always make your payments on time. 一次逾期付款会对你的分数产生重大影响, 所以要注意在到期日之前支付每一张账单. Keep in mind late payments are not reported to the credit bureaus until 30 days have passed, 但为了安全起见，最好还是按时支付账单，避免滞纳金.

降低你的债务收入比.

你的债务收入比可以决定你是否有资格获得住房贷款. 即使你有资格, 高DTI比率可能会导致你错过最低的抵押贷款利率, 哪个会提高你的月供. 不仅如此, but a high DTI ratio indicates you may have trouble making your mortgage payments with your current financial situation. 如果可能的话，在尝试买房之前采取措施降低高DTI比率.

In order to improve your DTI ratio, you must either increase your income or decrease your debts. 对大多数人来说，降低每月循环债务是一个更现实的策略. 你可以通过还清你的余额和消除新的支出来做到这一点. 你也可以通过分期贷款再融资来降低每月的债务, 比如汽车贷款或私人学生贷款.

首付款注意事项

Many borrowers are tempted to seek out a lender or loan program that allows them to qualify for the loan by putting down as little money as possible. If, instead, you choose to make a larger down payment, you’ll gain several advantages. 具体来说，更高的首付款可能:

• 通过降低贷款风险来降低利率.
• 帮助您避免支付私人抵押贷款保险.
• 通过减少贷款的未偿余额来减少你的月供.

虽然可能需要一段时间来攒够20%的首付款, 更多的首付带来的好处是值得的. When you consider the money you could save on both principal and interest each month, 也有可能消除对私人抵押贷款保险的需求, 你可能会看到每年节省数百甚至数千美元.

Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to put money away for an eventual down payment. 让我们来看看其中的三个:

1. 在你的预算中找到钱.

最好的开始是梳理你的简历的细节 月度预算 寻找任何减少开支的机会. Take the money you save through these budget changes and put it into your savings account.

2. 出售不需要的物品.

Most people have at least a few things lying around that are no longer used or needed. 如果你有什么不想要的贵重物品, 考虑在eBay或类似的平台上出售. When you sell an item, put the money into savings so you won't be tempted to spend it.

3. 找一份副业.

在当今世界，找到一笔额外的收入比以往任何时候都容易. Consider delivering food, joining a ride-sharing company or selling something homemade. 和任何储蓄策略一样, it’s best to put the money you earn directly into a separate account so it will be earmarked for your down payment.

住房贷款预先批准的重要性

正如你所看到的，获得抵押贷款的资格可能很复杂. For some borrowers, getting a mortgage may even require some lifestyle changes and patience. 因为不是每个借款人在第一次尝试时都有资格获得抵押贷款, 这是个好主意 提前申请住房贷款 在你开始买房子之前.

虽然这并不能保证你有资格获得贷款, 预先批准可以让你很好地了解你能借多少钱. 获得预先批准的买家对卖家也更有吸引力, 给你任何机会都是额外的优势.