Paperwork
Complete PDFs beat phone photos. Every page, including the blank ones. That one habit saves a week of conditions.
Paystubs come from your employer portal or ADP / Paychex / UKG login — last 30 days. W-2s are in last year’s tax packet or an IRS Wage and Income transcript. 1099 and self-employed buyers need two years of returns plus a year-to-date profit-and-loss. Overtime and bonus count when the history is on those stubs.
Download two full months from the bank website as PDF. Not a screenshot of the balance. If we are using a 401(k) or brokerage for reserves, same rule. Large deposits get sourced — have the other side of that transfer ready.
Driver’s license. Two years of addresses. Landlord name and phone if you rent. A copy of the lease if you are breaking one. A roommate who is not on the loan still has to be explained if they are on the lease.
StudentAid.gov loan list. Servicer letter if you are on income-driven repayment. Auto loan statements only if something looks off on credit. Child support orders if they apply.
Gift letter signed by the donor, their statement showing the withdrawal, and yours showing the deposit. Cash in an envelope is not a gift we can use. Start this early — not the week of closing.
The purchase agreement, any addenda, the inspection if you have it, and the insurance binder once we order it. Do not send a contract from a house you have not offered on. It just clutters the file.
Self-employed, 1099, or a two-year job gap — call (740) 314-5324 before you scan a pile. We will tell you the short list for your situation.
Keep reading
Before you tour
What “first-time buyer” means, how debt-to-income works, and what to stop doing 60 days out.
The money
Earnest money, closing costs, seller credits, gifts, and Ohio down payment assistance — one number, not five.
The payment we count
Deferred, income-driven, parent PLUS, and why paying them off mid-file can backfire.
Income that is not a W-2
Two years of returns, add-backs, a current P&L, and why a brand-new LLC does not qualify you overnight.
Two names
Who goes on the loan, who goes on title, occupancy rules, and when a co-signer actually helps.
The house type
Warrantable condos, titled manufactured homes, private well, and septic — what kills a file before the appraisal.
House hack
Live in one unit, rent the others. How FHA and conventional treat rental income on a first purchase.
Build or buy
Builder contracts, rate locks that expire, specs that change, and why a resale file is a different clock.
The stretch
Inspections, appraisals, insurance, underwriting conditions, and closing day in this market.
Start here
Start the application and upload PDFs there, or email the branch and we will tell you exactly what is missing.