The 4C’s of Home Buying - Prosperity Connection (2024)

Financial Advice

Buying your first home can be an exciting journey. For most of us, mortgage underwriting is an unavoidable part of that process.Underwritingis when a lender reviews your final mortgage application to decide whether to give you a loan and if so, under what conditions (ex: a higher or lower interest rate). Even if you were pre-approved for a mortgage, you will still have to go through this final underwriting process. When reviewing an application, lenders consider four criteria (the “C’s”) to decide whether to approve or deny a loan. Like a checklist, all four areas must be satisfied for your application to be approved. Keep reading to learn more about the four C’s of home buying:

Credit –Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Lenders check your credit score and credit history to get an idea of how you’ve handled current and past loans. When evaluating your credit, underwriters use your Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion FICO scores as a quick way to predict your likelihood of repaying the loan. A FICOmortgage scoreof 640 is generally considered “mortgage ready,” but specific requirements may be higher or lower depending on loan programs and lenders. If you’re not sure where you stand, you can request free copies of your credit reports throughannualcreditreport.com. Be sure to watch ourCredit 101andHow to Read a Credit Reportclass recordings onYouTubeto learn more credit basics.

Capacity –Capacity refers to your ability to comfortably afford mortgage payments, plus other existing financial obligations. Lenders will look at yourgross monthly income, two years of employment history, and current monthly debt obligations to determine capacity. When it’s time to crunch numbers, they’ll use your income and monthly debt obligations to determine if yourdebt-to-income ratio(DTI) fits within their lending requirements. DTI limits vary depending on which kind of mortgage you’re applying for (ex: conventional vs. FHA vs. VA), as well as any additional requirements a financial institution may have.

Capital –When you hear capital, think cash. Capital is important because it shows the lender that you won’t be completely broke after covering your down payment, closing costs, and other expenses associated with buying a home. A common requirement is having at least two months of mortgage payments saved in a rainy day fund (also known as “reserves”) separate from whatever money you’re using to purchase a home. You can use bank accounts, monetary gifts (under certain conditions), and assets like investments or retirement to prove sufficient reserves.Here’s a full list of acceptable sources for reserves.

Collateral –This refers to the house itself. Underwriters consider a home’sappraised valuewhen deciding whether to approve a mortgage application. Property size, location, condition, and the value of nearby homes are just some of the things considered when a house is appraised. Even if you ace the first three C’s, if a home doesn’t appraise well the final loan will not be approved. This is because collateral ensures that the lender won’t lose their money if you default on the loan.

At the end of the day, securing a home loan comes down to the four C’s: credit, capacity, capital, and collateral. Whether it’s down payment assistance,free credit coaching, or a trustworthy realtor, there’s plenty of support so you don’t have to go through the process alone. To learn more about the 4C’s and how to become mortgage-ready,follow this link to registerfor our “4C’s of Homebuying” class on June 17, 2021. You can alsomeet with a free Prosperity Connection financial coachto evaluate your position and prepare for the mortgage application process.

The 4C’s of Home Buying - Prosperity Connection (2024)

FAQs

What are the 4 Cs when buying a home? ›

At the end of the day, securing a home loan comes down to the four C's: credit, capacity, capital, and collateral.

What are the four Cs in buying a home? ›

Standards may differ from lender to lender, but there are four core components — the four C's — that lenders will evaluate in determining whether they will make a loan: capacity, capital, collateral and credit.

What are the 4 Cs of underwriting? ›

Meet the Fantastic Four - the 4 C's: Capacity, Credit, Collateral, and Capital. These titans hold the power to make or break your dream of homeownership. They're the guardians of mortgage approval, keeping a watchful eye on every aspect of your financial life.

What are the 4 Cs that lenders consider when someone is attempting to get a loan? ›

Lenders consider four criteria, also known as the 4 C's: Capacity, Capital, Credit, and Collateral.

What does the 4 Cs mean? ›

To develop successful members of the global society, education must be based on a framework of the Four C's: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking.

What are the 4 Cs meaning? ›

The four C's of 21st Century skills are:

Critical thinking. Creativity. Collaboration. Communication.

What is 4cs capacity? ›

Concept 86: Four Cs (Capacity, Collateral, Covenants, and Character) of Traditional Credit Analysis. The components of traditional credit analysis are known as the 4 Cs: Capacity: The ability of the borrower to make interest and principal payments on time.

What is the 4c of credit? ›

Character, capital, capacity, and collateral – purpose isn't tied entirely to any one of the four Cs of credit worthiness. If your business is lacking in one of the Cs, it doesn't mean it has a weak purpose, and vice versa.

What are the 4 Ps and 4 Cs? ›

The marketing mix consists of four Ps (price, product, place, and promotion), four Cs (customer needs and wants, cost, convenience, and communication), and more. To get a better understanding of the marketing mix, we'll take a deeper dive into each of these areas to help you unlock the power behind it.

What if I can't put 20 down on a house? ›

However, a smaller down payment means a more expensive mortgage over the long term. With less than 20 percent down on a house purchase, you will have a bigger loan and higher monthly payments. You'll likely also have to pay for mortgage insurance, which can be expensive.

How to calculate debt-income ratio? ›

How do I calculate my debt-to-income ratio? To calculate your DTI, you add up all your monthly debt payments and divide them by your gross monthly income. Your gross monthly income is generally the amount of money you have earned before your taxes and other deductions are taken out.

How are the 5 Cs used by lenders? ›

The five C's, or characteristics, of credit — character, capacity, capital, conditions and collateral — are a framework used by many lenders to evaluate potential small-business borrowers.

What habit lowers your credit score? ›

Making late payments, even a single day late, can significantly affect your credit. This becomes especially true if you make a habit of paying late. Some lenders or credit card companies will charge you a fee for being a single day late and could cut you off from making further purchases on the account.

What are the 4 legs of credit? ›

Credit: Do you have a track record of consistently making payments on time? Capacity: Are you able to pay back the loan? Capital: Do you have assets, cash reserves, or other funds? Collateral: What property or possessions can you pledge as security against the loan?

What are the 5 Cs of the borrower? ›

The lender will typically follow what is called the Five Cs of Credit: Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral and Conditions. Examining each of these things helps the lender determine the level of risk associated with providing the borrower with the requested funds.

What does Cs mean in real estate? ›

CS - Coming Soon: At the Seller's request a property may be entered into the Coming Soon Status to prepare the home for showings, needed repairs, or legal matters.

What are the 5 phases of buying a home? ›

This way to a home of your own
  • Step 1: Prepare your finances. Before you begin your search for a home, figure out what you can realistically afford. ...
  • Step 2: Prequalify for the right loan. ...
  • Step 3: Call a real estate agent. ...
  • Step 4: Lock in your mortgage. ...
  • Step 5: Prepare to close.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Manual Maggio

Last Updated:

Views: 6083

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (69 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Manual Maggio

Birthday: 1998-01-20

Address: 359 Kelvin Stream, Lake Eldonview, MT 33517-1242

Phone: +577037762465

Job: Product Hospitality Supervisor

Hobby: Gardening, Web surfing, Video gaming, Amateur radio, Flag Football, Reading, Table tennis

Introduction: My name is Manual Maggio, I am a thankful, tender, adventurous, delightful, fantastic, proud, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.