Understanding the home loan approval process

Before you start your property search, it’s worth getting conditional approval for a home loan. It’s a letter from your lender that indicates how much they’re likely to let you borrow. It’s based on a few things, like review of your financial details, goals and requirements.

It gives you a clear idea of what properties you could realistically afford. It also puts you in a strong position when you make an offer on a house, as it shows the seller and real estate agent that you’re a serious buyer. If you’re thinking about purchasing a property at auction, then it’s wise to get conditional approval before making a bid.

A Home Lending Specialist or Broker can help you through the process.

Things to have ready:

• Your ID (if you’re new to Bankwest)
  
• An idea of your expenses, assets and liabilities
  
• Evidence of your income, like payslips, tax returns or bank statements.
  

Unconditional approval (also known as full loan approval) happens after your offer on a property has been accepted. You usually sign a contract ‘subject to finance’ when you make an offer, so after that, you can apply for unconditional approval.

You need to get in touch with a Home Lending Specialist or Broker and provide a copy of the signed contract of sale. From there, they’ll organise the rest of your application and let you know if any documents are missing. They’ll also help you select a suitable home loan product that’s right for you.

Your application will be assessed, and then the bank will carry out a valuation on the property. This can take a week or two, depending on your situation and the settlement period.

Your Home Lending Specialist or Broker will keep you up to date, but you can also conveniently track your application and receive email notifications for key milestones with our Home Loan Application Tracker.

Once your home loan has been unconditionally approved, the bank will send your contract documents to you and you’ll need to read, sign and return them. The bank will then verify the contract documents and settlement will be booked.

With a Bankwest home loan, you can sign most of your contract documents online anytime. Find out more about digital signing.

• Types of home loans
• Upfront costs of buying a home
• What do I need to apply for a home loan?
• Making an offer on a house