As soon as you are serious about buying a home, you should get pre-approved for a mortgage. It's fine to do some preliminary house hunting beforehand, but you should get your mortgage pre-approved before you sink a lot of time into looking at homes in person, or even online. If you have a good idea of what you're looking for and think you'll want to make an offer within the next month or two, it makes sense to get a pre-approval letter. Fortunately, the pre-approval process is fairly simple, and it may also save you some of the legwork involved in getting an actual mortgage. You'll need to provide the lender with certain documentation, including: Bank account statements Pay stubs and employment details, including the name and address of your employer A list of your existing debts or obligations, such as child support payments Your lender will use that information, coupled with the details it pulls from your credit report, to determine what mortgage amount you may qualify for.