TL;DR

This service combines pre-approval planning and document-checklist execution into one process you can run before you shop seriously.

What this pre-approval service solves

Borrowers lose leverage when they start house hunting before file readiness. Missing pages, outdated income records, and unclear down-payment trails create avoidable delays later.

Our pre-approval service closes that gap: we align affordability, stress-test math, and a borrower-type document package before live offers begin.

Document clarity is one of the fastest ways to improve lender confidence.

Pre-qualification vs pre-approval vs final approval

Stage What it does What it does not do
Pre-qualification Early estimate using high-level inputs Does not confirm full lender underwriting
Pre-approval Stronger review of credit, income, debt, and document quality Does not guarantee funding for every property or changed borrower profile
Final approval Complete underwriting with property and condition sign-off Cannot be assumed from pre-approval alone

Core 10-item pre-approval document checklist

  1. Government-issued photo ID for each applicant.
  2. Recent pay evidence and employment confirmation.
  3. Recent tax documents where lender requires them.
  4. Down-payment source statements with clear history.
  5. Gift letter and transfer evidence where applicable.
  6. Loan and line-of-credit statements.
  7. Credit-card balance and payment details.
  8. Property-tax and housing-cost assumptions for affordability modeling.
  9. Condo-fee assumptions if relevant to target properties.
  10. A written list of known file complexities (income variation, large deposits, recent job changes).

Borrower-type checklist matrix

Borrower type Underwriting focus Priority supporting files
Salaried Income continuity and debt load Recent income proof, debt statements, tax support where needed
Self-employed Income durability and business trend Recent two years of T1/NOA and business-income evidence
New to Canada Identity, status, and alternative profile strength Status documentation plus income and asset trail
Gifted down payment Source-of-funds clarity Gift letter and transfer trail
Rental income included Sustainable income against liabilities Lease/rent evidence plus property carrying-cost records
Mortgage document checklist matrix by borrower type for Canadian applicants
Different file profiles require different evidence depth.

7 mistakes that delay approvals

  1. Outdated income records.
  2. Missing statement pages.
  3. Large deposits with no source explanation.
  4. Unclear gifted down-payment trail.
  5. Name/address mismatches across files.
  6. Collecting key evidence after offer conditions begin.
  7. Assuming one lender checklist applies to all lenders.

90-minute pre-submission audit

  1. 30 minutes: verify every file is current, readable, and named clearly.
  2. 30 minutes: reconcile income, debt, and down-payment values across documents.
  3. 30 minutes: pre-answer lender questions on large deposits, employment changes, and obligations.

Run this audit before first submission and again before firm approval.

Ninety-minute pre-approval document package audit workflow
Fast audits prevent avoidable underwriting reset loops.

Psychology traps that hurt pre-approval outcomes

Mental model Common trap Pragmatic correction
Optimism bias Assuming missing files can be fixed later without cost Treat pre-approval as underwriting prep, not a casual estimate
Present bias Prioritizing speed over document quality Complete one clean package before active offer cycles
Anchoring Fixating on rate hold while skipping file readiness Track readiness score and pricing together
Overconfidence bias Treating pre-approval as guaranteed financing Hold financing conditions until property and final underwriting clear

Sources

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