Lender Checklist: What You Need for a Mortgage

□ W-2 forms — or business tax return forms if you're self-employed — for the last two or three years for every person signing the loan.

□ Copies of at least one pay stub for each person signing the loan.

□ Account numbers of all your credit cards and the amounts for any outstanding balances.

□ Copies of two to four months of bank or credit union statements for both checking and savings accounts.

□ Lender, loan number, and amount owed on other installment loans, such as student loans and car loans.

□ Addresses where you’ve lived for the last five to seven years, with names of landlords if appropriate.

□ Copies of brokerage account statements for two to four months, as well as a list of any other major assets of value, such as a boat, RV, or stocks or bonds not held in a brokerage account.

□ Copies of your most recent 401(k) or other retirement account statement.

□ Documentation to verify additional income, such as child support or a pension.

□ Copies of personal tax forms for the last two to three years.

Reprinted from REALTOR® magazine (REALTOR.org/realtormag) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.