Definitions:

• Pre-Approved - A lending institution has processed the Buyer's loan application and approved a specific mortgage loan amount.
• Pre-Qualified -  An unofficial estimate of the size mortgage a Buyer can afford (a "pre-qualified buyer" is one who should be able to get a mortgage loan big enough to purchase your home).

A good real estate agent will pre-qualify buyers before showing them your home. If you are selling your home without an agent you must do your own pre-qualification.

Here are four easy ways to pre-qualify your potential buyers:

• Our On-Line Calculator:
  The calculator automates the calculations in our pen and paper, Do-it-Yourself Worksheet and comes up with an estimate of the maximum mortgage loan amount the Buyer is likely to get from a bank or other lending institution.
  
• Local Mortgage Brokers:
  Your past mortgage broker or one referred by a friend would be happy to help you pre-qualify a buyer. If you're working with a Realtor, ask them to refer you to a real estate mortgage broker.
  
• Internet Mortgage Services:
  While at your home, the potential buyer can sign-on to Moneynest.com or Ditech.com and get estimates of how much he or she can borrow on the spot.
  
• Do-it-Yourself Qualification Worksheet:
  Our pen & pencil Do-it-Yourself Worksheet requires you sit with your prospective buyer and get two simple, but sensitive pieces of information: income and debt. Don't be embarrassed, people answer these questions whenever they make large purchases.

Once you have annual income and monthly long term debt, the worksheet, (included in our Forms & Contracts), takes you through four simple steps in arithmetic to estimate how big a mortgage the prospective buyer can afford. (Our On-Line Calculator will perform these calculations for you.)