The first thing in processing is to order an appraisal. You
will usually be expected to pay the appraiser at the door before he
or she enters the property. The appraiser is an independent professional
charged with arriving at an opinion of value of the property. Appraisers are
licensed by the State. Residential appraisals generally run from $300 for a
single family residence up to $450 for a four unit property.
When all of your documentation is received it then goes to a processor who
verifies and validates all of the information to be true and correct.
Verification requests may be sent to your employers, mortgage
holder/landlord and lending institutions. This is done by fax when possible.
It is usually during this time frame that the appraisal and the title policy
are ordered. When all the information is collected the processor then
verifies that basic lender loan requirements have been met, then the file is
packaged in a manner the lender specifies. The completed package (including
the appraisal and title report) is then sent to the underwriting department
either in house or to a lender-specified location. The processing of your
loan usually takes about a week but it is often delayed when third parties
do not respond to the validation requests or appraisals are delayed. If your
loan qualifies for DU (Desk top Underwriting) or Loan Prospector, these are
computer automated systems, the documentation requirements are often cut in
half and the process can be completed in one to three days depending on the
volume of loans the processor has.