Work Hard Mortgage at Work Hard Mortgage
Clear steps. Real numbers. No pressure. We will create a personalized roadmap that shows you exactly how to move forward with confidence.
Ryan Harding
Senior Mortgage Advisor
Three easy steps to clarity.
No pressure. No commitment. Just clarity.
We are not here to push products. We are here to help you make smart decisions about one of the biggest purchases of your life.
Ryan took the time to explain everything in a way that actually made sense. I felt confident going into my home purchase instead of anxious.
Sarah M.
First-Time Homebuyer
Work Hard Mortgage
We will use this to prepare your personalized home buying plan.
Schedule a quick call at a time that works for you.
A clear plan changes everything. Let us build yours together.
A mortgage broker acts as your advocate in the lending process. Instead of being limited to one bank's products, we shop multiple lenders to find you the best rates and terms. Research conducted by Polygon Research in 2024 supports the claim that borrowers often save over $10,000 by working with a mortgage broker rather than a nonbank retail lender. The study, which analyzed 2023 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, found that consumers working with an independent mortgage broker saved an average of $10,662 over the life of their loan. We handle the paperwork, negotiate on your behalf, and guide you through every step—at no cost to you.
Once you submit your information, we can typically provide a pre-approval letter within 24-48 hours. However, the entire process—from our first conversation to having a fully underwritten pre-approval—usually takes about 3-5 business days. This depends on how quickly you can provide documents like pay stubs, tax returns, and bank statements. The sooner we have everything, the faster we can move.
We have two ways to review your credit, depending on your timeline. If you're planning to buy within the next 90 days, we'll do a hard credit pull. That's the standard for active homebuyers and typically impacts your score by less than 5 points. If you're earlier in the process or just exploring, we can start with a soft credit pull instead. A soft pull has no impact on your score, but still gives us enough information to review your profile and estimate your buying power. Then, when you're ready to make an offer, we can always switch to a hard pull at that point.
For a pre-approval, we typically need: your two most recent pay stubs, W-2s or 1099s from the past two years, two months of bank statements, and a copy of your driver's license. If you are self-employed or have additional income sources, we may need tax returns and profit-and-loss statements. Don't worry—we will provide you with a clear checklist and guide you through gathering everything.
It depends on the loan program, but most buyers don't need 20% down. Many first-time buyers put down between 0%–5%. For example: • Conventional loans can be as low as 3% down • FHA loans start at 3.5% • VA and USDA loans offer 0% down for those who qualify • There are also grant programs that can help cover part or even all of your down payment Putting 20% down can eliminate mortgage insurance, but it's not required—and for many buyers, it's not the best use of their cash. The right question isn't "How much do I have to put down?" It's "What makes the most sense for my situation?" That's something we'll walk through together so you can make the best decision with real numbers.
It's not just about how much you make—it's how your income is structured, documented, and how consistent it is over time. A lot of people assume they either make enough or they don't… but in reality, there's a lot more flexibility than most expect. I break down the 4 key things lenders look at—so you can understand where you stand and what actually matters:
If you're not sure how your income fits into all of this, we can take a look together and map out your options.
Yes—there are actually several ways to buy a home with little to no money down. Depending on your situation, that could include grant programs, government-backed loans like VA or USDA, and even certain lender programs designed for first-time buyers. The tricky part is knowing what you qualify for and how these programs actually work—because not all options apply to everyone. I break down the different types of zero down options (and how to know if you qualify) in this quick video:
You don't need perfect credit to buy a home. In fact, a lot of buyers qualify with lower scores than they expect. If you're not sure where you stand or what to fix, I break it down here:
And if you want help looking at your specific situation, we can walk through it together.
Helping homebuyers navigate the mortgage process with clarity, education, and personalized guidance.
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