Buying your first home is one of the most exciting events in your life. 但, before you can sign the contract and get the keys to your new house, 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, but understanding how it works can put your mind at ease.

什么是抵押贷款?

抵押贷款是以房地产为抵押的贷款. 这种类型的贷款允许你购买房屋，即使你没有获得全额现金购买价格. When you take on a mortgage, you’ll make payments every month. Each payment will include a portion toward the principal, 哪个是贷款的未偿余额, 还有一部分利息.

在大多数情况下, 你的贷款人还会代你支付财产税和房屋保险, so a portion of your monthly mortgage payment will go toward these expenses as well.

不同类型的按揭 是可用的. Although most mortgages have the same basic requirements, 您选择的抵押贷款类型将决定您需要满足的具体要求.

抵押贷款主要有两类:传统贷款和政府支持贷款. 传统贷款是由贷款人直接发放的贷款，没有任何政府机构的支持. Government-backed mortgages are insured or guaranteed by government agencies, 允许银行根据不同于传统贷款的标准发放贷款，因为政府为部分贷款提供保险.

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. 让我们来讨论一下为了获得住房贷款，你需要满足的典型要求.

收入

贷款人想知道你有一个可靠的收入流，将允许你按时偿还抵押贷款. 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.

Sources of income that may be used to qualify for your home loan include:

• 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, 如果你失去了固定的收入来源或面临其他财务问题，可以用来支付你的抵押贷款. 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, 你的贷款人希望看到你有足够的资产在紧急情况下支付两个月或更长时间的抵押贷款. 

债务收入比

你的贷款人需要确保你有足够的收入来支付你的抵押贷款, but also to pay your other revolving debts and monthly expenses. 为了确保, your lender will calculate a debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which is the ratio of your mortgage and other monthly debts to your monthly income.

贷款人确定前端债务收入比和后端债务收入比. 前端DTI比率是通过除以你潜在的住房费用计算出来的，其中可能包括你未来的抵押贷款支付, 抵押贷款保险, property taxes and homeowners insurance — by your gross income. 而后端DTI比率包括所有需要的最低每月债务支付在你的 信用报告.

计算你的前端DTI比率, simply divide your expected monthly mortgage payment by your gross monthly income. 计算后端DTI比率, 用你预期的抵押贷款和其他每月债务的总额除以你的月总收入.

Many lenders have limits for both the front-end and back-end DTI ratios. 例如，前端DTI比率为35%，后端DTI比率为45%被认为是理想的. Larger DTI ratios may be approved, but you may end up paying a higher interest rate. It’s rare for a back-end DTI ratio of 50% to be approved.

信贷

All mortgage lenders will look at your 信用报告 and credit score. Your 信用报告 provides information about your current debts and credit history. 它会显示你所有账户的余额，以及每个账户的付款记录. 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.

你的信用评分是一个三位数的数字，表明你作为借款人的风险水平. 你的分数越高, 你的贷款人对你偿还贷款的能力就越有信心. 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, 只要你的信用评分至少达到620分，你就有资格在大多数项目下获得住房贷款. 如果你的信用评分低于620分, 你可能仍然有资格获得政府支持的联邦住房管理局(FHA)贷款, 尤其是如果你能付一大笔首付款的话.

首付

In many cases, you’ll be required to make a down payment when you purchase a home. Ideally, lenders like to have a down payment equal to 20% of the purchase price. There are zero-down and low-down payment loan options available, however.

If you’re making a smaller down payment, you'll likely be required to pay 私人按揭保险(PMI)，这将增加你每月的按揭付款. 抵押贷款保险的目的是保护贷款人，如果你停止偿还贷款的原因.

提高你获得住房贷款资格的机会

If you’re concerned you won't be able to qualify for a mortgage, don't despair. Whatever the issue may be, you can take steps to improve your profile as a borrower. Even if you already meet the basic mortgage qualification requirements, 你可能仍然决定采取一些行动来增加你获得最佳利率的机会. 这里有一些建议，可以帮助你加强你的抵押贷款申请，并得到你需要的贷款. 

提高你的信用评分.

If your current credit score is too low to qualify for a mortgage (lower than 620), or if you want to improve your credit score to lower your interest rate, you can work on making positive changes to your 信用报告.

For example, if you have credit card debt, paying down some of your balances can 提高你的信用评分. Reducing the balance you carry month to month lowers your credit utilization rate, which is the ratio of your outstanding balances to your available credit. 理想情况下，这个比例不应超过30%.

你也可以通过确保你总是按时付款来提高你的信用评分. A single late payment can have a significant impact on your score, 所以要注意在到期日之前支付每一张账单. 请记住，延迟付款不会报告给信用局，直到30天过去了, but it’s still best to pay your bills on time to be safe and avoid late fees.

降低你的债务收入比.

Your debt-to-income ratio can make or break your ability to qualify for a home loan. 即使你有资格, a high DTI ratio may cause you to miss out on the lowest mortgage rates, 哪个会提高你的月供. 不仅如此, 但高DTI比率表明，你可能有困难，以你目前的财务状况偿还抵押贷款. If possible, take steps to lower a high DTI ratio before attempting to buy a home.

为了提高你的DTI比率，你必须增加你的收入或减少你的债务. For most people, lowering revolving monthly debts is a more realistic strategy. You can do that by paying down your balances and eliminating new spending. You may also be able to lower your monthly debts by refinancing installment loans, 比如汽车贷款或私人学生贷款.

首付款注意事项

许多借款人都倾向于寻找一个贷方或贷款计划，允许他们通过尽可能少的首付来获得贷款资格. 相反，如果你选择支付更大的首付款，你将获得几个优势. 具体来说，更高的首付款可能:

• Lower your interest rate by making your loan less of a risk.
• 帮助您避免支付私人抵押贷款保险.
• Decrease your monthly payment by reducing the loan's outstanding balance.

Although it may take some time to save up for a 20% down payment, the benefits that come with a larger down payment are worth the effort. When you consider the money you could save on both principal and interest each month, as well as the potential to eliminate the need for private 抵押贷款保险, you could be looking at hundreds or even thousands of dollars saved per year.

幸运的是，你可以使用几种策略来为最终的首付款存钱. 让我们来看看其中的三个:

1. 在你的预算中找到钱.

The best place to start is by combing through the details of your 月度预算 寻找任何减少开支的机会. 把你通过这些预算变化节省下来的钱存进你的储蓄账户.

2. 出售不需要的物品.

大多数人至少有一些不再使用或不需要的东西. If you have any valuable items you don't want anymore, 考虑在eBay或类似的平台上出售. 当你卖掉一件东西时，把钱存起来，这样你就不会忍不住去花了.

3. 找一份副业.

In today's world, finding an extra stream of income is easier than ever before. 考虑送外卖，加入拼车公司，或者卖一些自制的东西. 和任何储蓄策略一样, 最好把你赚的钱直接存入一个单独的账户，这样它就会被指定为你的首付款.

住房贷款预先批准的重要性

As you can see, qualifying for a mortgage can be complicated. 对于一些借款人来说，获得抵押贷款甚至可能需要一些生活方式的改变和耐心. Because not every borrower will be able to qualify for a mortgage on the first try, 这是个好主意 提前申请住房贷款 在你开始买房子之前.

Although it's not a guarantee that you’ll qualify for the loan, a preapproval gives you a good idea of how much you can afford to borrow. Buyers with preapprovals also tend to be more attractive to sellers, 给你任何机会都是额外的优势.